


The Power Couple

by BattleBelle23



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, childhood frenemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:15:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22556959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattleBelle23/pseuds/BattleBelle23
Summary: “You need the money, I need…well, I just need a holiday.” he winks at me, “So what do you say, DeVille? Want to become Love Island’s power couple and winners?”Darcie’s sharp eyes squinted, and an evil glimmer smirk on her red lips. “You son of a bitch, I’m in.”In which frenemies Darcie and Lucas plotted to win Love Island from the beginning.But that’s all this is, isn’t it? Pretend?
Relationships: Lucas Koh/Main Character (Love Island), Lucas/Main Character (Love Island), MC/Chelsea friendship, MC/Lottie friendship, MC/Priya friendship, Main Character/Lucas (Love Island)
Comments: 71
Kudos: 177





	1. Game On

Darcie DeVille was many things: a master’s student, an intern at Marie Claire and an award winning essay writer. But above all, she was a hard worker.

Of course she was. No one could ever accuse her of being someone who had things handed to her. She began from humble beginnings, with a father who chose not to work and a mother who managed a small grocery store, then somehow Darcie got a scholarship into the prestigious Oxford University, with a 17.6% acceptance rate, despite her lack of connections or legacy.

And it was this determination that was going to win her Love Island.

University and a master's degree weren't cheap and that money would go a long way in helping her loans. Plus, the added fame and opportunities that came was definitely a bonus.

She had a shot. After all, if anything, she knew she had charisma. It’s one of the things that got her so far in life despite her huge disadvantages. She knew she was funny, witty, and confident, a true icon for the women and young girls watching Love Island, with humor dirty enough and, let’s be honest, a curvy body hot enough for the boys watching Love Island to want to see more of.

Now, did she expect to genuinely find love on Love Island? Of course not and anyone who is should be smacked and given a reality check. No one will admit it, of course, but they’re all here for either the money or a quick summer fling, not actual love. It’s just like going on a dating app for love: sure, some may work out, but the majority of the time, you’re just there for a hookup.

Of course, it would be nice if she could walk out of Love Island a winner, 50k richer and with a man on her arm. But such things were far too ideal and Darcie liked to think she lived in the real world. She knows guys like Rocco. The type who think they’re so smart and deep, claiming they don’t want to be tied down just yet when the reality is they just wanna fuck and they don’t want to admit it.

And she knows guys like Rocco only pretend to like girls like Darcie. But she’s not stupid. She knows it’s only a matter of time before the pretentious fuck tries to snog another girl. When that happens, Darcie will play the poor victim, then rise above it like a phoenix, a beacon of hope for all girls who have been scorned by men they once trusted. Everyone likes a hero who gets screwed over at first and Darcie knew Rocco, though a casualty of war, was her ticket to fame and fortune.

But man. The only downside is she was thirsty as hell. Being in a bikini all day, the hot summer sun, and surrounded by so many hot people, it was difficult for girls like her who tended to have sex on a regular basis usually. 

But she had to play the game. And she knew that having sex with Rocco would make her look too much like a victim, which wasn’t what she wanted. She also knew having sex with any of the other boys before she officially broke her coupling up would make her look like a snake. Besides, she wouldn’t do that, regardless. A master manipulator she was, but a snake she was not.

The next stage of her plan, which had yet to come to fruition, was finding a new partner. It had to be someone likeable, dependable, kind. Someone whose softness would make her sometimes sassy nature seem more approachable and less scary. She already planned a whole moment where she would reveal in front of cameras how she always had a rough exterior but her new partner would be the one to crack it. She was going to do it near the beds, so people could relate to their moments when they themselves were vulnerable with their partners. She would wear her hair down and straighten it, like some kind of tragic meek heroin. She would wear her white dress, goddess of all purity, a contrast to her usual bright reds. Oof, but this was going to be good television. This would be the one scene that would get everyone to vote for her.

And yet, she still needed her leading man. Rocco was definitely not gonna cut it and taking any of the men now would make her look like the snake. She considered Bobby, who wasn’t working out with his couple. But in all honesty, it was as clear as day that Bobby did like Darcie. And as much as Darcie was a bitch, she didn’t like the idea of stringing him along.

So, it would have to be someone new coming in. But she had to be careful. You never know if you can actually trust these newbies. Still, they were her best shot. She knew the next people had to be boys, since Priya was the most recent arrival. 

So one morning, when she woke up earlier than everyone, it didn’t surprise her to hear the splashing of two newbies in the pool.

She grinned. She wasn’t able to see them from the balcony (she had horrendous eyesight). But she quickly put on her cutest checked bikini, put a little lip tint on her lips for that ‘rosy natural’ lip look, undid her braids to reveal long curls, tip toed downstairs and quickly met with the new boys.

One was, well, Thor if he were a Love Island contestant: with his long flowing locks that, honestly, rivalled the shine of most girls’ hair in the villa, his soft face and the toned body, he was a definite contender. Not that she liked long-haired boys.

But the person next to him?

_You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._

Lucas _fucking_ Koh. 

Ugh. Really? Of all the boys she had to meet, it had to be someone she recognised from her past as someone who was cocky and annoying. 

“Hi, boys!” she smiled enthusiastically, waving her hands towards them.

“Oi, oi!” Thor Junior called out, “Darcie in the flesh! Wow!”

Thor Junior seemed excited, but then when she looked at her former frenemy, Lucas just grinned and looked as equally excited.

She’s not sure how she’s going to play this. But in any case, she tries not to give away too much: she may not know who Lucas is, may not. 

She grins, “Have I met that much of an impression already?”

“Oh, you’re _definitely_ being noticed.” Lucas smirks, then looks around, confused. “Where are the other girls?

Darcie was tempted to give Lucas that trademark ‘annoyed face’ he’s grown to know so well. Instead, she gave a flirtatious smirk. “The other girls can wait. I wanted you to myself.” 

“I love a girl who’s direct.” Thor Junior grins.

“To be fair, out of all the girls, you’re the most likely to pull a stunt like this.” Lucas laughed, pretending he only knows this because of TV, and not because of personal knowledge.

Darcie stared at him for a quick second. It seemed like he was playing the ‘we don’t know each other’ card. Fine. Two can play at that game.

“What can I say? I know what I want out of life and how to get it.” she says, taking a step closer to Lucas and purposely leaving but a paper-thin space between their bodies.

She could have sworn she saw him flustered for a second. But this only lasted but a minute before she heard the thundering sounds of the girls quickly coming downstairs.

“Nice of you to wake us, Darcie!” Lottie glared at her, but Darcie knew she didn’t mean it anyway.

“I’m sorry but…look at them!” she says, gesturing to both, although she purposely moved closer to Lucas.

As predicted, the new boys were a hit with the girls. Well, who could blame them? They were, after all, both attractive.

The entire time, Darcie kept her eyes on Lucas, watching him carefully like a hawk. He seemed to rebuff the other girls' compliments and attention while solely focusing on Darcie at times. She knew he definitely recognised her and she made sure he knew that she recognised him. The only question was, what on earth was he doing here and why?

A while later, they all gathered around the firepit to interrogate the new boys. Rocco, who had been acting odd as of late, was suddenly very territorial, insisting on sitting next to Darcie as soon as she purposely sat next to Lucas. She saw Lucas squirm a bit as she pressed her shoulder against his and couldn't help but grin. Whatever he was plotting, she knew she could crack him.

But she never expected his response when asked who was his type.

“My type’s more…a girl with decent taste. Knows what she wants out of life and how to get it.” he smirks at Darcie.

She tilted her head, trying to figure out what he wanted out of this. Why was he taking her words from earlier? Why was he very publicly declaring he wanted her?

“So, who do you fancy?” Noah’s deep, velvety voice pipes up, causing Darcie to nearly jumped. Don’t get her wrong, she liked the lad, but she forgets sometimes that he’s here.

“I’d forgotten how smooth your voice was…” Bobby points out.

“I’ll go first.” Lucas says, then with the biggest shit-eating grin ever, says, “It’s got to be Darcie. You’re the type of woman I go for and I’d love to get to know you”

One thing on Darcie’s mind.

Okay, if she was being a hundred percent, completely honest, if she didn’t already know Lucas, she…would have definitely tried to jump his bones from the minute he walked in. After all, Lucas was a millionaire’s son who was a little bit shy but not enough to be considered a weak presence, had the face of a pretty boy yet the muscles of a toned athlete, and, and she cannot stress how rare this is, actually had really good sense of style. Any girl knows, that is weirdly hard to find in a man.

But she knew Lucas Koh. You see, they ran in the same circles. They weren’t complete enemies, but they weren’t complete friends either. They knew each other by reputation and that alone was enough to keep them away from each other.

He’s never been interested in her before so it begged the question…

What the _hell_ was his gameplan here?

Well. Whatever it was, she had to be careful. She was still coupled up with Rocco and he had yet to do something snakey. Doing something too big now would make her look bad.

So, instead, she gave a humble reply, “Well, damn, now my ego’s boosted.” 

“Ugh, can’t you at least share him for an evening?” Priya asks, clearly overwhelmed by the number of hot guys around her.

“Share _just_ him?” Darcie grins at Priya, who only laughs. Ah, but if only Priya were into women. Darcie would _not_ have mind coupling up with her at all. Or Lottie. Or Hannah. Or, really, anyone who wasn’t Marisol which was, in itself, very ironic.

“Cheeky!” Priya laughs.

A few more questions came and went and every single time, Darcie caught Lucas staring at her. No, not just stealing glances, outright _staring_. And as usual, she had a hard time reading why Lucas stared at her like that.

But she also noticed Rocco suddenly becoming more touchy-feely than he had in days. Suddenly his arm was wrapped around her, he kept pulling her close and he was now interested in asking her little questions miraculously. Which would have been all fine and dandy…if he didn’t proceed to talk with all the other girls in the villa and been just as touchy with them.

If Darcie had to guess, Rocco was intimidated and worried about the recoupling. It’s only a matter of time before Rocco slips and reveals himself to be a huge snake. Darcie’s big moment would come, but now was the time to think of what happens after. After all, this was still Love Island. And she still had to be chosen by somebody else. 

Thor Junior, whose name she later learned to be Henrik, is an option. Not her type at all but a nice enough guy. Rahim was a sweetheart but was he a strong enough presence to help her win? Bobby, well, was like a little brother to her and she wouldn’t dream of using the poor kid like that. Gary would be an option, if Darcie wasn’t 80% sure Lottie fancied him, and she still respected girl code. Noah, well, she might have coupled up with him, but the more she sees how much of a coward he is when it came to standing up to Hope, she knew he was too weak. He was already coming across as a puppy on a leash to Hope, so she could only imagine what would happen had he coupled up with Darcie.

Well, that will have to be figured out later. Right now, she was only interested in figuring out the truth of why Lucas suddenly showed up and why he was so dead-set on pretending to like her.

* * *

Few people know this, but the Islanders aren’t always filmed 24/7. Every weekend, they get to go around town and be free of mics and cameras.

Usually, there was an unspoken rule that no one would try to hang out in their couples. They either hung out with their friends or do a group outing or just did something on their own. The ‘alone time’ most people used up during those weekends are what kept most of them sane.

So, it was perfect that the day after Lucas and Henrik arrived, it fell on a weekend. And as the Islanders dispersed around the town to look around, shop, relax, Darcie immediately pulled Lucas aside.

“Alright Koh, what’s your game?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

“Still as aggressive as ever, I see.” he smiles at her.

“Oh, don’t you play coy with me!” she snipped. “What are you even doing here? It’s not like you need 50k! You probably have that much in your wallet right now!”

“Only 30k, darling. And…you’re right. I don’t need the 50k. But who said I was here for money? Maybe I’m here for love.” he grins.

“Oh, bullshit!” she exclaims, “Come on, Lucas. Be straight with me: why are you here?”

He sighs, putting his fingers through his hair. “Look. I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. I’m assuming you’re not exactly here for love?”

She bit the corner of her cheek. “Well…don’t get me wrong. It’d be great if I found love. But come on, let’s be real, this is Love Island! It’s about as useful for finding true love as a dating app.” 

Lucas shrugs, “Some people find their partners on dating apps.”

Darcie rolled her eyes, “Yes, yes, everyone knows someone who knows someone who found their soulmate online. But let’s be real here: who actually lasts together after Love Island?”

“Uh, last season's winners? They've adopted a dog together.” Lucas points out.

“And they’re just as likely as those who go on to marry and love their childhood sweetheart.” Darcie says, “Look, I’d _love_ to be a Love Island success story. But let’s be honest: I’m a total bitch and that’s not going to happen.” 

“You always were harsh on yourself.” Lucas shook his head.

“No, I’m pragmatic. And I know I’d rather have 50k than a dumb summer fling.” she says, crossing her arms, “But..you already knew that, didn’t you?”

Here’s where it got a bit odd. Despite their lack of closeness, there was always something about Lucas that seemed to know a lot about Darcie. Something that made her think she could never bullshit him even if she tried. How he always figured out, she had no clue. But she had no doubt that the moment he saw her on Love Island, he knew she wasn’t in it for love.

“Of course I do.” Lucas says casually, “And to be honest, anyone who really knows you would, too.”

Except most people don’t really know her. And those who do know better not to tell.

“Well…okay. So what are you up to? Why are you pretending to like me so much?” That’s what Darcie hated. For as much as Lucas could figure her out, she could never do the same to him.

“Because I have a…well, call it a business arrangement, for you.” Lucas grins.

Suddenly, Darcie’s ears perked.

Darcie and Lucas were brought up in the world of business arrangement, deals and trades. It was a language both of them knew how to speak. Neither of them liked it very much, but that’s by the by. 

“I’m listening…” 

He took a deep breath and for a moment before he spoke, he stared at her. And kept staring. Darcie cursed him for being so attractive. Well, he wasn’t _that_ attractive. Just because he had a perfect jawline and well-styled hair and gorgeous eyes and abs that she wanted to feel against her own body, doesn’t mean he was particularly attractive.

Another second and she would have called him out for not speaking, except he finally did.

“You and I couple up to win Love Island.”

…

“Fuck off.” Darcie said, about to walk away until Lucas tried to stop her.

“No, no, no, hear me out! It’s a good plan, I swear!” Lucas promised, “Come on, Darcie. We both know we’d be the kind of couple everyone would vote for. You’d be the strong, independent sassmaster who encourages me to get out of his shell, I’ll be the calm and quiet resilient one who softens you up, we’d both challenge each other, help each other grow…” 

Okay, well, when he put it that way….It is true that on paper, they were exactly what each other needed. They had the potential to go all the way. And in all honesty, Darcie knew Lucas was the kind of person who would probably let her keep the 50k anyway.

But there was something deep down inside of her that told her this wasn’t a good idea...

“But I don’t like you.” Darcie blurts out.

A look came across Lucas’ face for but a moment and she can’t help but wonder if it was one of hurt. She felt sorry about that at first and was tempted to reword her sentence, but the look left as quickly as it came.

“But I like _you_.” Lucas says, “And you’ve always been a great actress.” 

“I don’t know…I have Rocco.” 

“Oh, come on, DeVille, we both know you chose Rocco because he’s a fuckboy in disguise and it’s only a matter of time before the guy explodes and you want to use that to make yourself look good. Hell, I saw him wandering around with Marisol just a few minutes ago!” Lucas says, “And I know you know that when you give Rocco the boot, you need someone else to be your leading man. Who better than me, right? Or do you know anyone else who’s gonna make you look good _and_ let you walk away with the 50k with no hard feelings?” 

"..."

"Besides. It's the perfect story. I've already sewed the seeds by literally telling everyone I like you. It's perfect: I'm the guy who's wanted you this whole time, but you're with a douchebag boyfriend. Boyfriend reveals himself to be a douchebag, you're hurt but you rise above it like the fierce queen you are and you open your eyes to what's been in front of you this whole time. Then boom! We get together and we show the world that love can still be found even when you've been royall screwed over. Don't you think the whole world would crumble at a story like that?" 

Fuck. She may not like the man but damn did he present a good argument. But let’s see if he can keep it up…

“But this is _Love Island_. How do I know you won’t back out of the plan as soon as some hot girl shows up and wants you?” Darcie questioned.

Lucas just laughed, like she said the most absurd thing ever. “Trust me, that is not gonna be a problem.”

“What, you gay?” Darcie tilted her head, “Because that would explain why you never really had a girlfriend since I’ve known you even though girls always flock to you.”

“What? No!” Lucas protested.

“I mean, dude, it’s fine if you are!” Darcie said, “I mean, I’m half into girls myself, so…"

“I know it’s fine, but I’m not gay.” he sighed. “And you really, really don’t have to worry about me turning my head.” 

“Didn’t you say you were here for love?” 

“And a holiday away from…”

Ah. Darcie has heard through the grapevine. “Parents driving you nuts?”

Lucas’ eyes fell, “That, too.” 

“I’m sorry.” Darcie says and she means it. Whatever her personal feelings for Lucas were, she knew that suffocating parents who argued too much could be a…challenge, to say the least.

“Yeah. But back on the subject…” Lucas immediately shook his head, as if shaking his thoughts away, “I’m kinda like you. It would be nice to find love, but really, I just want a good time. And I don’t care about the money. When we win, I’ll gladly give you my half. And come on, Darcie, you see how picky I am with women. Do you honestly think someone could turn my head that easily?”

Darcie shrugs, “I don’t know. Stranger things have happened. But that doesn’t answer my question: what consideration do I have that this isn’t going to backfire on me?” 

“Bringing out the contract law jargon already, huh?” Lucas grins. “Alright. Well, how about this: if, by some miracle, a girl turns my head, which I’m telling you is impossible, I still won’t look at her. I’ll still make sure you win one way or another and we’ll be communicating all the way on our game plan.”

“Hmm…you make a convincing argument there, Koh.” Darcie says. “For what it’s worth, if you do find a girl you like, you’re free to date her after the show ends as much as you wish.”

“Ditto for you with a guy you like.” Lucas says, although there’s a quick look of disappointment in his eyes that she doesn’t miss. “But for what it’s worth, I’m telling you, there’s no chance of a girl turning my head.”

“Because…?”

“You’ll see.” Lucas grins.

“If you say so.” Darcie shrugs, not entirely convinced. Of what Lucas is saying or this whole scam idea.

“Oh, come on, Darce. You need the money, I need…well, I just need a holiday.” he winks at me, “So what do you say, DeVille? Want to become Love Island’s power couple and winners?” 

She put her finger on her chin, thinking clearly or at least attempting to. The more she spoke to Lucas, the more convinced she was that this was the best option. He was a sure thing, he was charming compared to her charismatic self and both would definitely win the public vote and they could easily strategise together should any challenges appear. 

Darcie’s sharp eyes squinted, and an evil glimmer smirk on her red lips. “You son of a bitch, I’m in.”

The next day, the kissing challenge game and Lucas purposefully took every opportunity he had to kiss Darcie.

All the seeds planted for the audience to know that Lucas was in love with Darcie and he was the guy for her.

She had to admit, she doubted whether Lucas could pull off pretending to be in love with her. But so far, he’s doing a bang-up job. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought he genuinely liked her.

Of course, that’s impossible, because this was all pretend.

…Right?


	2. Sun-Kissed

The next few days, the Rocco situation explodes and Darcie finally gets the ‘woman scorned’ plotline she’s been begging for.

Lucas watches from the kitchen as Darcie huddles in with the girls in the pool (sans Marisol). It’s a familiar scene: Darcie with a large group of loyal followers ready to strike at a moment’s notice and an idiot who’s about to become the unwilling target. Not that he didn’t deserve it, of course. But sometimes, Lucas wonders if this is her way of exacting revenge on a certain ex-boyfriend who treated her wrong in the past…

He looks up the balcony and catches the back of Rocco and Marisol’s heads and shakes his own head. He knew Rocco’s type from the get-go, but he didn’t expect him to be so…well, stupid. Surely, the lad realises he’s on national television and pulling this stunt will surely make him hated?

Lucas sighs. Then again, so many people have been on this show before and have gotten away with worse. 

“Wow. Can you believe it?” Bobby asks beside Lucas.

Lucas likes Bobby. He’s a simple guy who likes to have a good time, but never hurts anyone to do so. He’s a rarity, especially in Lucas and Darcie’s world. He also knows that Bobby is one of the only guys that Darcie actually does trust and with good reason. 

“I sorta can, actually.” Lucas glares at Rocco. “Guys like Rocco never know what they have, then get greedy and discard the best thing that’s ever happened to them. If I know his sort, in a few months, he’ll be kicking himself for what he did and would give anything to be back.”

Bobby raises his eyebrow, “Speaking from personal experience?”

He shakes his head, “Nope. Speaking from observation of an associate of mine who’s wronged the perfect girl before in the past…” 

A certain face pops in his head and that’s when Lucas can actually feel his face flush slightly with anger. But that all disappears when Bobby says with the biggest grin ever, “Oh, so in this analogy, is Darcie the perfect girl then?”

Instantly, the red anger now turned into embarrassment and Lucas immediately cleared his throat, “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I’m just gonna say it, mate. If you wanna crack on with Darcie, I’d say go ahead! She could use a good guy after Rocco, and you seem to really care about her.” Bobby approves, patting him on the back.

“I’ll not lie, she is the only girl I have my eye on.” Lucas says sincerely. 

“Well, if it helps, it seems like Darcie likes you back, too! She’s told me some stuff, you know.” Bobby says, nudging Lucas with his elbow. 

_‘Yeah, only because of the cameras…’_ Lucas thinks, wanting to sigh in disappointment. _‘Still. A lot can change in a month, especially in here…'_

If there’s one thing Lucas excels at almost as well as Darcie, it was the art of acting. So any hint of sadness leaves in a second and is replaced by an enthusiastic smile, “Yeah? Well, looks like I may actually have a shot.”

“Well, best of luck to you.” Bobby greets.

“Thanks, Bobby. Really.” Lucas smiles at him as Bobby walks away.

His attention is turned back to Darcie herself, who was currently being hugged by Lottie, who had a fierce look in her eyes at the moment.

He had to hand it to her, Darcie was a mastermind strategist. After all, she picked her followers carefully: her closest friend, Lottie, was a fierce protective enforcer ready to pounce at anyone who crossed her friends. Priya was the kind of girl who could use her incredibly good looks to get information out of anyone. Hope was smart enough to point out things that Lottie and Priya might not be able to. 

And Marisol, well, Marisol was the kind of girl who Darcie could have either been bestest friends with or worse enemies. Turns out it was the latter and he had no doubt in his mind that Darcie didn’t like Marisol from the beginning and probably plotted to ice her out one way or another. Granted, he’s not so sure if Darcie could have predicted how Marisol would so obviously fall for Rocco, making her look just as much as a snake for not respecting girl code. Or perhaps she could? Honestly, when it came to that girl, Lucas never knew what was a game or not.

The only thing he was sure of was that him and her? Definitely a game to her.

But Lucas is nothing if not persistent. And he’s never wanted anything more than he’s wanted her.

So, let the games begin.

* * *

Sometimes, Darcie impresses herself. It’s so satisfying when a plan comes together as easily as this one did. She’d almost feel bad about it if she didn’t know that Rocco would have done what he did regardless of Darcie’s plot. She’s had more than her fair share of experience with guys like him, after all. She can spot a snake in the grass when she sees one.

And Marisol shamelessly parading around with Rocco? The cherry on top. Not only will Darcie be able to rise from the ashes after a man wronged her and appear to be the hero she’s always believed she was, but Marisol will make herself out to be the naive and disrespectful ‘other woman’ in national television. Knowing her, it’ll be hard for her to come out as the winner with that sort of title. Besides, Marisol was about as charismatic as sandpaper. No idea how to present herself as someone likeable for the audience. 

"Ugh, so gross!" Lottie sneered as she watched Marisol and Rocco talk together. "Obviously, she doesn't care about girl code." 

"I knew we weren't close, but seriously? To go behind my back like that? I at least thought we respected each other, but I guess not." Darcie says. The perfect response. Not too much of a crybaby pushover, but not too bitchy either. A slight amount of hurt in her tone but mostly strength and acceptance of it all. "Still. I don't blame Marisol. She owes me nothing. I blame Rocco."   
  
That much was partly true. Though she begrudge Marisol a bit for going behind her back as her friend, at the end of the day, Marisol is not the one who owed her loyalty. It was Rocco who owed her respect and didn't care enough to give it to her. 

"Well-said!" Priya cheered as she raised her water bottle. "But who cares, right? You deserve so much better."

In spite of all of this, Darcie feels immensely grateful for her girls. Friendship had always been important to her and she loved how fiercely loyal Lottie and Priya were. They were good people and safe to say Darcie has a shortage of good people in her life. She found herself wishing that she could stay in contact with these girls long after she walked away with the 50k.

After all that emotional turmoil, she decided to take some time to herself and laze around the pool, get a little sunbathing action going on. Not that she gave two shites about her tan, but feeling the sun on her skin was incredibly relaxing. 

“Did you even remember to put sunscreen on?” she hears Lucas’ voice, along with the sloshing sounds of the pool. 

She made herself sit up from her lawn chair and had to keep herself from fawning as she saw a shirtless Lucas, droplets of water all over him, slowly coming out of the pool.

“Oh, darn. Looks like I forgot.” she smiled at him, a small signal saying, ‘ _Let’s get this one for the cameras.’_

He smiles back, understanding her meaning and immediately grabs a sunscreen bottle, “Well, I wouldn’t want you to get sunburned.” 

There’s a grin that spreads on her face as she pats the chair beside her. Lucas immediately sits right behind her, as she sat between his legs. She could feel Lucas’s cold, sunscreen-covered hands touch her body. Goosebumps spread and she’s not sure if it’s because of the sudden cold touch or because it was Lucas doing the touching. 

He’s nothing if not thorough. She can feel him trying to give her a slight massage and she doesn’t even try to hold her moans back. For a second, she feels him stop when she does, but he keeps going anyway. 

“That feels so good…” she breathes and even she begins to wonder if she’s talking about the massage or if she’s genuinely getting a bit turned on. No, she doesn’t like Lucas. But she’s still a woman. A very wound-up woman who hasn’t gone passed first base since coming here. Could you blame her for having needs?

It got even worse when Lucas leaned over shoulder to whisper, “Careful now, you don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

She had to control her body not to shudder as she felt his breath on her neck or his warm skin so close to her face. “Who says there’s a wrong idea?”

Again, Lucas pauses. His hands slide from the top of her shoulders to her waist and he pulls her closer to him, this time she could feel his still slightly wet chest on her back. 

Darcie nearly froze, not sure what he was doing or why. But two can play at this game. She immediately leaned in as much as she could to him, then rested her head against his chest. Her hands ‘casually’ found his knees and she allowed her whole weight to shift on his body.

It was a…compromising position. 

One that only left her feeling a wee bit hotter every second. His hands were still on her waist, but his fingers began to dance around her bikini string. She wondered what would have happened, if it weren’t for...

“I’ve got a text!” Hope screams excitedly, nearly giving Noah beside her a heart attack when only seconds ago he had been sleeping.

At that moment, it felt like a bubble had burst. Darcie immediately sat right back up and tensed, cleared her throat and replaced her sultry ‘screw me’ gaze into a cheerful, perky smile, “What’s it say?” she asks without even checking on Lucas as she quickly walks away from him.

As for Lucas, well, let’s just say he had to remain seated for a while.

“Evil woman…” he mutters softly to himself.


	3. Drama Magnet

That night, Mr. Love Island contest comes and Darcie purposely tries to score Lucas points. If not to somehow mark her territory, at least to establish him as one of the more desireable bachelors in the Villa. Well, not that he needed her help in that department that much. 

In fact, she’s pretty sure that if Hope wasn’t coupled up with Noah and if she hadn’t staked her claim on Lucas pretty quickly in front of Priya, she would have had some competition for Lucas’ affections. Not that there’d be much competition given their deal. She shrugs it off, thinking maybe she’ll even try to hook Priya and Lucas up post-Love Island. 

Not that she thinks they'd last. But that's beside the point.

To Lucas’ credit, he seems to be keeping up his end of the bargain. His eyes were forever on her, he took every opportunity to be physically close to her and he wasn’t shy about professing his interest for her. If she didn’t know this was a game, Darcie would have been flattered and giddy like a schoolgirl. She liked when guys weren’t afraid to show their feelings. Screw all that ‘playing hard to get’ ‘cold bad boy’ nonesense. Give her a guy who’s not afraid to show he likes you and even less afraid to tell the world. It shows vulnerability and proof that a guy cares more about you than his pride. That's the real reason girls like cheesy, over-the-top gestures. Not the act itself, but what it represents.

It’s almost a shame, she thinks. Even without being officially coupled up, Lucas sets the bar pretty high as far as lovers go. If this is what he does for a fake romance, she can’t imagine what he does for a real one! 

For his ‘talent’, he purposely does a slow-mo repeat of his earlier exit out of the pool, eyes firmly on her. If it wasn’t already blatantly obvious who he was grafting on before, it was set in stone now. All of the girls, sans Marisol, gave Darcie a cheeky grin.

She’s been avoiding Rocco at best, and giving snarky comments at worst. The kind that all people formerly scorned by someone they cared about would adore her for. At the same time, her refusal to talk about him most of the time gave an air of maturity, something she is definitely praised for given the circumstances. Either way, she was winning approvals, she knew.

And how she’s personally feeling about all this? Well, disappointed but not surprised. She knew from the moment she’s met Rocco that he would screw her, or any girl, over very quickly. But then, Darcie had always been good at taking one look at people and immediately figuring out what kind of person they were.

She found, nine times out of ten, people rarely surprised her. They were all so predictable. But then again, perhaps she is compensating for a childhood where surprise was always accompanied with disappointment. Now, she analyses people like she was still sixteen, in her English class, writing down characters and all their reoccurring themes. But of course, real people weren’t always like characters in books.

Lucas, for example, always seemed to be a bit of a mystery to her and she hated it. She hated how she could never tell what he was up to or what he was thinking. She hates how he still looks at her with that same boyishly handsome smile of his that was no different than the same smile she knew five years ago. But most of all, she hates how she knows that he has an ulterior motive for their new little arrangement, but she can’t, for the life of her, figure out what it is.

“You look pensive.” Marisol comments carefully, approaching Darcie with the same caution a child would to a caged lion in a zoo. She knows Darcie won’t attack, but Marisol also isn’t dumb enough to test her. “I get the same look in my face.” 

Darcie just resists the urge to scoff at the insinuation that she and Marisol were alike. Well, they were in some ways. But it almost offended Darcie that someone as delusional as Marisol wanted her on the same level.

“Well. A lot’s been happening lately that’s been making me think more than usual.” Darcie comments with a sad smile. No snark or coldness in her voice, just pain. Acted pain, but still.

As predicted, Marisol flinches, but vehemently defends her innocence. “I know you’re upset. But you have to understand, Rocco and I have a connection. And this is Love Island, babes, you can’t expect me to choose friends over love.”

_‘Bold of you to assume that we’re friends.’_ Darcie wants to say, but she holds her tongue and keeps up the sad puppy dog look.

“I understand that, Marisol, it’s just…I don’t understand why you didn’t just come to me first.” Darcie says, making sure her shoulders are slightly slumped, eyes downcast, but voice firm. “When Priya took Rocco out on a date, she was straight up with me about it and I was fine with it. I would have been fine with you telling me you had feelings for him, too. But it’s you going behind my back that hurts a bit.” 

And Darcie was only half-lying. She was still coupled up with Rocco. The classy and respectful thing to do would have been for Marisol to own up to it without acting like a snake.

“Well, I’m sorry that you feel bad.” Marisol says and Darcie nearly does a victory dance knowing that the internet will pick up on her half-assed shitty excuse of an apology. “I hope this doesn’t effect our friendship.”

And the grand finale.

“Well. Considering we were never really friends, I guess it hasn’t changed anything.” With that, Darcie walks away, her high ponytail swaying back and forth and her fingers lowering her sunglasses to her eyes. 

She should feel bad, for making Marisol look stupid, but she doesn’t. Marisol made her bed, now she has to lie in it. 

“Oof. Brutal.” Lottie grins as Darcie makes her way towards the kitchen. “Careful, Darce, your Scorpio is showing.”

Darcie grins back. She’s not exactly the biggest believer in astrology, but she is impressed at how Lottie guessed her horoscope accurately. “How’s life, Lottie? We haven’t seen each other in ages!”

Lottie laughs, “Same old, same old. I’ve been grafting on Henrik since he came. I think he and I might hit things off, actually…”

“You two would make gorgeous blond babies.” Darcie agreed. With Lottie’s fierce eyes and Henrik’s kind smile, any child of theirs would be an instant knockout 

“Then it’s settled. I’ll graft on Henrik, we’ll have a beautiful blond baby boy who will marry your dazzling brunette baby girl.” Lottie announced grandly.

“And who’s the father of this brunette baby girl?” Darcie asks.

Lottie’s wicked grin returns, “You tell me, D. You tell me.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Darcie says coyly.

“But of course you don’t.” Lottie plays along, “And I’m sure Lucas looking at you with those ‘come fuck me’ eyes last night was just a coincidence.”

“God, those _eyes_.” Darcie gushes. “I thought I was imagining him just looking at me.”

Lottie snickered, “Nope, they were all yours. Now the question is, are your eyes on him?” 

She tried to look half-excited, half-guilty, “But Rocco…”

Luckily, Lottie’s the kind of friend who will waste no time roasting a good-for-nothing almost-ex. “Rocco’s an ass! You deserve so much better than an indecisive dickhead. If a guy likes you, he shouldn’t be so confused about it. And trust me, I think someone’s more than sure of his feelings for you…” 

Darcie smiled at Lottie. “Yeah…you’re right…Maybe it is time that I find someone else.”

“What’s this about finding someone else?!” Priya said excitedly as she effortlessly swam out of the pool, looking like some professional model ready for a shoot. 

“My God, Pri. Save some dick for the rest of us.” Darcie teased.

“Says the one who’s got half the Villa crushing on her.” Priya grinned.

“Yeah, right.” Darcie snorted.

“Not that anyone would blame you, of course, but I have to ask…” Priya grins, “Is there someone else you like in the Villa other than Rocco?”

Instantly, her gaze turned to Lucas, who she notices is staring at her from across the pool.

He didn’t mean to zone out as Noah blabbered on about Hope, but he did, because how could he concentrate when Darcie was right across the pool, wearing that striking forest green bikini? In his defense, he’s pretty sure that Henrik was secretly asleep under his glasses and has been for the past 10 minutes and Bobby was the only one listening.

Lucas really hopes he wasn’t being obvious, but then out of nowhere, Darcie’s eyes darted towards him and he felt himself gulp. Her eyes had always been one of her most striking features. Sharp, intense, always seeming as if they could see into your very soul and know everything about you. This was no exception. God, it may just be a good thing this is all fake for her. Because right now, he was in a strange combination of turned on and afraid, and it took everything in his power for his knees not to turn into jelly and absolutely melt under that gaze. He could pretend the effect she had on her was just for play. 

Which is good, because that’s really the only way he could survive.

“…and then I went on a date with Cara Delevigne where Gordon Ramsey cooked for them.” Noah finished.

Hearing the odd story, Lucas’ head snapped, “Pardon?”

Bobby grinned, “If you want her that bad, go talk to her.” 

“From what Hope tells me, things aren’t looking so good between her and Rocco, so you’re in the best position.” Noah informed him.

“And remember, timing is everything…” Bobby says, “If you don’t act now, you’ll lose your chance.”

“Right.” Lucas gulps. With the hollering of his new friends and their encouragement, he found himself standing up, ready to walk towards her. He suddenly felt like his legs, normally very strong, were so weak that he was about to collapse under them.

This was silly. Even if he comes across as too cheesy or anything, he can just play it off as either pretend or for the cameras. It’s not like Darcie will mug him off, anyway.

Still, he cared about the impression he left on her. 

Impressive. The Kohs have a long history of being absolutely charming individuals: good looks, combined with intelligence and money, they were natural magnets to people. It was both a blessing and a curse. Lucas could never tell who was honest with him or who was kissing his ass for his status or looks. His little sister, Lexie, had the exact same problem. It led the Koh siblings to have similar problems: plenty of Yes-Men, but no real friends. As a result, no real fear of anyone disliking them.

But Darcie’s always been an exception. While his interactions with her were limited at best, he could tell that she was a no-nonesense type of girl. Ambitious, sure. Cunning, absolutely. But more than anything, she didn’t like to mess around. If she didn’t like you, she’ll let you know.

Perhaps that’s why he liked her. Honesty like that was so rare with him. It’s all rather ironic they’re playing games when he really just wants to tell her that he really did think she was…

“Mate, are you just gonna stand there or are you going to talk to her?” Bobby asks, “Because, remember what I said, timing is-“

“I’ve got a text!” Marisol shouts from the day beds.

“…Everything.” Lucas sighs, internally slapping himself.

With little choice, he followed as the other Islanders began walking towards the challenge area.

To his delight, he noticed Darcie playfully walking towards him. “You alright, Lucas? You look a little flushed.”

“Ah, hope I’m not too sunburned. Can’t help it, there’s quite a few factors in this island that can get me really hot.” Lucas grins at her, taking a single step closer to her.

He’s suddenly well aware of how he, only wearing his swimming trunks, and she, in that gorgeously revealing bikini, were standing so close to each other. A gust of wind only needed to blow to push one of them closer to the other and just like that, their bodies would be touching. And God, how he wanted to touch her. 

As if she could read his mind, she took a single step closer and he could feel just the thinnest touch of her body bump against his. 

“Well. Maybe next time I should put sunscreen on you, return the favor.” and with a slight grin, she brushed herself away from him. Seconds after she left, he could still feel the heat of her skin on his.

Despite the warmth, he could feel goosebumps and shivers all over his body. 

This whole time, Darcie’s been playing with fire. Suddenly, Lucas felt very determined to play back. 

With a knowing smile, he walked towards her. He rarely knew anyone who could keep him on his toes as much as she did. Here’s to hoping he does as well of a job.

* * *

The game is a series of tweets about a certain person and each couple had to guess. Lucas watched bitterly as Rocco tried to talk to Darcie as if he didn’t just make a completely mug out of her in national television.

Here’s the tricky part. Lucas bet if people knew Darcie knew what was going to happen with Rocco, they would label her as the manipulative snake. On one hand, Lucas could agree. And on the other, he knew deep down, Darcie suspected this of Rocco but she hoped it wasn’t true. He also knew that had Rocco not acted so cruelly, Darcie would have stuck with him through the very end. That woman hated just as fiercely as she loved, and it showed. 

As of right now, Lucas knew the public absolutely adored Darcie. She was witty, funny, straight-up and probably had sympathy points as she had planned with all that’s happened. But he’s curious to know what they think of him and her. Were they a ‘shippable’ couple, he wondered?

The tweets were drama-filled, unsurprisingly. Unsurprisingly, Darcie all of them correct so far. But so did Lucas. He smirked as he saw her competitive streak rising and couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“This tweet’s from Love Island Season 1 Winner, ChefJake!” Lottie announced.

“Oh, my God!” Priya’s jaw dropped, “I heard he and Paige Pierce have a baby due in September!"

“Wow, could you imagine winning Love Island as a couple then going on to move together, marry each other _and_ have a baby on the way?” Darcie said in disbelief. She didn’t believe much in romance and fairytales, but she had to admit, watching Love Island’s first winners, Jake and Paige, they were simply adorable and it wasn’t surprising that they lasted so long.

“Who knows? It might happen again.” Lucas winks at her.

Darcie smiled and tried to look bashful as she paid attention to the tweet. In an ideal, beautiful world, it would happen to her, too. But she lived in the real world.

**You can do better than him, ______.**

She snorted as Lottie read the tweet out loud, not wasting time writing her own name on the table.

“Whoa, you wrote your own name? Like, you deserve better than Rocco?” Henrik’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Duh, Captain Obvious.” Lucas laughed, “I’d say it was earned, given what happened.”

Darcie couldn’t help but smile at him, genuinely this time. In a world where she was so often distrustful of people, it was sort of nice having someone on your side. She could tell Lucas meant it, too, because as much as she liked keeping the man at arm’s length, she could tell Lucas was a gentleman.

Turns out the tweet was about Marisol. Darcie huffed.

Rocco had the audacity to look insulted, to which Lucas was utterly confused about. Rocco grafted on every single girl in the Villa, then he acts shocked that Darcie is mad at him? Some people just didn’t make sense sometimes.

**I swear _____ comments on everything that happens one way or another even if it has nothing to do with her.**

Once again, Darcie snorts and writes her own name. Turns out, she was 100% right.

“Hey, the only reason I comment on things is because everyone always asks for my opinion!” Darcie defends herself.

“Can’t argue with that.” Lucas agrees with her, “Honestly, watching the first few episodes, there were memes coming out that Darcie should get paid as the Villa therapist.”

Now, this was something fascinating. Lucas had always noticed that were drama was, Darcie was there one way or another. So it had become safe to assume that Darcie was some kind of attention-seeking drama creator. But further observation showed that Darcie just had one of those faces, where you often asked her help for everything, and she also had one of those personalities, where she was quick to defend someone she cared about. Suddenly, the ‘attention-seeking drama hog’ suddenly became a passionate, caring friend. He couldn’t help but admire that. Certainly, she could go about things differently. 

But Lucas can imagine, those who knew Darcie on the outside are finally seeing what he’s always seen. He couldn’t help but smile, knowing that people would realise it wasn’t always her fault and she had many wonderful things about her.

“See!” Darcie sticks her hand out, “Everyone else gets it!”

“Well, we have been relying on you a lot…” Hope admits sheepishly, her face turning pink.

“Look, it’s okay, I don’t mind sticking up for my girls and boys.” she smiles humbly at everyone, “But if you’re gonna ask for my help, all I ask is that you don’t get mad at me when I give my honest opinion. I just want what’s best for everyone even if it means giving some tough love.”

“Well said!” Henrik nods. 

After her response, Lucas couldn’t help but think Darcie would make a great politician one day. It was the perfect answer and she delivered it with such poise and persuasion that it felt so out of place in a silly reality show like the ones they were in.

Then again, Lucas’ sister always did argue that reality TV made good case studies on human behavior. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t wait for someone to make an analysis on Islanders’ beavhiors and their powers of persuasion.

As soon as Lottie claims the game is over, Lucas doesn’t miss the look in Darcie gives him. Funny how he’s able to read her despite them not even knowing each other _that_ much. But he did know she was perceptive. And it was awfully odd how Gary suddenly agreed with Lottie and how insistant Lottie was to end the game.

But loyal as ever, Darcie agrees to end the game. “Guys, come on, it’s probably not that interesting and I want some margaritas or something.”

The Islanders follow her lead, and Darcie catches Lottie giving her a thankful smile. In truth, Darcie wanted to continue the game, but Lottie looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable and Darcie felt bad for her. She’s sure something happened between her and Gary, and knowing how much Hannah liked him, she probably felt awful about it.

As they left, Darcie gave a slight squeeze on Lottie’s shoulder and the girl smiled at her. She knew she would have to tell Darcie the truth eventually, but until then, Darcie didn’t plan on rushing her in any way. 

After all, she knew what it felt like to have your entire private life exposed to people when you’re not ready. And if she could prevent that happening to another friend of hers, she definitely would.

* * *

This afternoon’s game and Lottie’s reaction gave Darcie some time to think, about how she’s been treating people. Part of her feels that perhaps she was going too far with Rocco. She didn’t need to be couple-y with him but she supposed she didn’t need to roast him so much. He’s made a mug out of himself already and he’s probably gonna get loads of shit outside the villa. Darcie wasn’t so sure she wanted to be one of those people adding to the problem. 

Yes, yes, the DeVille girl occasionally has a conscience. I know, shocking, right?

“I’m sorry.” she sighs, “I shouldn’t have said what I said in the tweet. I let my emotions get the best of me and that wasn’t right.”

Half of her does mean it. She regrets being so forward about her annoyance with Rocco. Half of her, on the other hand, feels like it was well earned. And given Rocco’s reaction afterwards, it seems like she was justified in her pettiness.

“I don’t think you’re sorry at all. I think you meant it.” Rocco sneered, “Coupling up with you was a mistake.”

_'Deep breaths, Darce, be the bigger person..._ ' Darcie breathed.

“Listen, I admit I acted mean and petty and I’m sorry. But come on, it’s not like you were Prince Charming, either.” she says, “Listen, we don’t have to be romantic with each other but I figure we could at least be civil.”

But it seems like Rocco wasn’t having it. Fair enough, Darcie decides. Sometimes apologies aren’t enough or someone needs more time, and that’s something she can respect. So she prepares herself to leave and give him space, but then Rocco opened his mouth.

“Look, I’m sorry if you think I wasn’t good to you.” Rocco said, sounding more annoyed than sorry, like a child being forced to apologize against his will.

Suddenly, flashbacks to a past relationships went in her head. She could feel her fists clenching and her teeth gritting against each other. What the hell was wrong with this guy? She tried being nice, she tried being respectful, and he just throws it back at her face?

“Oh, what an apology! You’re sorry if I’m the one who thinks something that isn’t true.” 

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It is. See, that’s what you call a backhanded apology. Instead of owning up to your mistakes and apologizing like a man, you make it sound like I’m the one with the problem.” she scoffs. She’s had it with this clown, officially, and she wasn’t going to waste any more energy on him. "You know what? I take that apology back. You don’t deserve one. You’re just like every guy, treating a girl like crap, then acting so shocked when the girl fights back. Act like a little bitch and a girl will react to your bitchiness. It’s called action and reaction, you fake-deep pretentious ass.”

She knows half of the villa is watching as she pushes down her sunglasses and struts away in her stiletto heels, cold margarita in her hand. She’s both furious and oddly ecstatic. She was in full Bad Bitch mode and she was on fire this afternoon. Not only did she defend herself against anyone who may say that she’s nosy but she’s officially cemented herself as _that_ bitch who takes no shit.

Oh, she’s sure some viewers will watch her thinking that she’s too harsh. This was _so_ far from the martyr role she plotted. But honestly? She couldn’t give a shit. She was 100% real, truthful and straight-up. She stayed true to herself and felt absolutely _great_ about it. The truth was, she was no innocent victim. She was a survivor, a fighter, and no way was she about to let some guy make a fool out of her.

It happened once, and as it turns out, she had no intention of letting it happen again.


	4. Sleep is For The Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Things get a little steamy here...does it show I'm incredibly thirsty? haha

Henrik and Rocco are about to leave tonight, and it’s a somber mood tonight in the villa. 

The dumpings are never easy, even if it is just the beginning. In Love Island, they weren’t allowed internet, books, movies or anything, so they only had each other. Being forced to just talk to each other kinda makes you appreciate people more, but it also meant them leaving was hard.

Lucas was one of the contenders to go, but Darcie was never going to let that happen. When talking it over with the girls, she firmly said Lucas would stay and whether they admitted it or not, among the girls, Darcie’s word was law. She didn’t want to see Henrik go, but when it came down to it, she had to save Koh at all costs.

Darcie dislikes Marisol, but she’s not made of stone. She notices Marisol cry and tries to console her. In all honesty, she doubts Marisol cares that much about Rocco. But it didn’t matter. This is what she felt right here, right now. 

She didn’t expect it to be so sad tonight. Especially not about Rocco. 

Of course, she’s lying if she says she’s going to lose sleep about it. But she’s not going to add salt to the wound and throw a party at Rocco’s expense either. 

She bumps into him upstairs as he prepares to leave and the awkwardness is palpable. She’s tempted to just quietly walk backward and away, but she also knows that she’s being filmed and no way was she going to look like a little bitch in front of national television.

Besides, they made eye contact as soon as she entered the room, so it was kind of inevitable.

“Hey.” Darcie starts.

“Hi…” Rocco says sadly, offering a sheepish smile. “Just packing up.”

“I can see that.” Darcie nods amicably, “So, what’s next for you?”

“We’ll just have to see where the wind takes me, won’t we?” Rocco shrugs, with a smile that tries very hard to be optimistic. Of course, it’s not working that well.

Sometimes, she sort of envied people like Rocco. No high ambitions meant no real pressure. The world was their oyster. So carefree and easy. Don’t get her wrong, she loved having high expectations for herself, but sometimes, she wonders what if. What if she let loose and stopped worrying so much about things out of her control?

“Listen, I know I put you in an awkward position, being single and all now.” Rocco interrupts her thoughts. She snaps back into reality and watches as he takes a deep breath. “I’m…sorry. Marisol and I, it just kind of happened.”

Despite herself, Darcie lets out a smile. 

Rocco takes a deep breath. It’s not until now that he realizes how rarely he sees that real smile of hers. It’s soft, sweet, unlike her usual ‘resting bitch face’ syndrome. For a brief moment, he found himself falling for her all over again, and forgetting all about Marisol. But even he knows it’s too late.

“Thank you, Rocco.” Darcie simply says. There’s more to say, but she feels like this is sufficient. 

* * *

She says a sweet, short goodbye to Thor Junior, still making him promise that they will one day cosplay Thor and Lady Sif together (he’s still not quite sure who either of those were though). She’s polite and civil and waves to Rocco, which surprises everyone considering they all heard their fight earlier today.

“I’m impressed, Darce.” Gary nods, “It takes a big person to let things go like that.”

Darcie shrugs, “He was genuinely sorry. There’s a difference between staying mad at someone who refuses to admit they were wrong and someone who knows it and finally apologizes for it. Besides, he’s gone. All we can do is hope he learns better in the future.”

“Well-said.” Priya raises her water bottle like a toast, “To our favorite snake, Rocco, and our Thor look-alike, Henrik!” 

The Islanders all raise their water bottles in solidarity, all smiling a bit. All things considered, this dumping could have gone a lot worse. But it was short and sweet and really that’s all anyone of them could hope for.

“Poor Lucas. He’s gonna have to sleep on his own tonight.” Lottie remarks sadly as the girls all prepare their nightly routines in the girls’ dressing room, “He was proper friends with Henrik.” 

“And who says he has to sleep on his own?” Priya asks suggestively as she playfully bumps her hip against Darcie’s, who was one step ahead of her.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Darcie grins, but as soon as she finishes tapping her moisturiser into her face, she immediately undoes the tie on her dressing gown to reveal a gorgeous black see-through nightgown that looked both beautiful, classy and completely sexy.

Was it obvious that this was all for Lucas? Definitely. But Darcie didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, there’s nothing wrong with showing your (fake) love interest that you are willing to make an effort for him.

“Hello, Darcie DeVille!” Lottie wolf-whistles, as does the rest of the girls. 

As she applied a small layer of slightly red lip tint to her lips, she smirked at her reflection, “Why are y’all gagging so? I bring it to you every day.”

“That you do. Now go! I wanna see Lucas’ reaction when he sees you!” Hope chippers excitedly as all of the girls followed Darcie back into the room. 

She didn’t waste any time on tip-toeing towards Lucas’ empty bed.

“You look lonely…” Darcie commented.

“Yeah, well, I-“ Lucas was engrossed in his thoughts and didn’t even see Darcie when he started to talk. Now that he did, he had to stop his jaw from completely hitting the floor. That nightgown was…something else.

A few giggles and snickers were heard everywhere, and Lucas realised that everyone was watching them. Or him, more specifically, being a total melt for this girl.

He cleared his throat and tried to save whatever dignity he had left, “Well, you know. I’m not use to sleeping on my own.”

“Neither am I.” she sighs dramatically as she casually sits next to him. “Not that sleeping with someone who doesn’t like me was any more fun. But, I was thinking…it would be nice to sleep next to someone tonight.”

Lucas grins, “Especially if that person also would like to sleep next to someone tonight.”

“You read my mind.” Darcie smiles, “So, want to share a bed together? We can go in the day beds, if you want.” 

“Well, far be it for me to deny you the pleasure of sleeping next to someone who really likes you, so of course I will.” Lucas didn’t even have to fake the huge smile on his face. Pretend or not, he would really be sleeping next to Darcie DeVille! He couldn’t believe his luck! 

_…Oh, he would be sleeping next to Darcie DeVille._ What if he snored? What if he hogged the covers? What if he didn’t hug her enough? What if he hugged her too much? What if-?

“I got a text!” Priya announced, and Lucas looked relieved that someone could distract him from the million thoughts racing through his head.

**Islanders, tomorrow there will be a girls’ choice recoupling. #makeyourmoves #stillinthegame**

“Why bother? We’re all happy in our couples, right?” Hope asks.

“Not necessarily everyone.” Lottie comments, her eyes turning to Gary, who sitting next to Marisol with discomfort.

“Besides, that would mean Darcie and Lucas would have to couple up just to make things easier for everyone else, it’s not fair.” Marisol commented.

“Right, because it would be a nightmare for Darcie and Lucas to have to couple up. Oh, the humanity!” Bobby says dramatically, earning a laugh from everyone.

“Oh, well, if I have to do it for the good of the villa…” Lucas grins at Darcie, his hand inexplicably finding her shoulder and sliding down to hold her hand. “Lead the way, Madame.”

“Of course, Monsieur.” Darcie laughs playfully as she guides him downstairs. She had to admit, Koh had a real good sense of humor sometimes. Originally, she always assumed he was a bit of a people-pleaser. But it was easy to see why people liked him so much (other than the obvious looks and money, of course). He was just so good-humored and fun to be around. It was a rare quality to find. 

They made their way to the beds and immediately jumped into it. Lucas couldn’t remember the last time he felt this excited! And nervous. But mostly excited! But then again, what would he have to be nervous about? Surely, they were just going to sleep. But...just to be sure...

"So, do you want to, um, cuddle? Or do you want your space? Either way is completely fine!" Lucas says a bit too quickly.

_Smooth, Koh. Real smooth._

Darcie laughs a bit at his mumbling. He was cute when he acted nervous. "I think I'd like to cuddle."

_He was going to cuddle with her!_

"Oh, great! I mean, cool." Lucas cleared his throat, "So, do you want to be the big spoon or little spoon?

“I like to switch, but given the circumstances, I think I wouldn’t mind being the little spoon for once.” Darcie smiles.

“I hope you mean in terms of your sleeping preferences, because I always use the little spoon. Can’t have us fighting over silverware.”

That just makes her sputter, “What do you mean? For everything? Even soup?”

“Especially soup.” Lucas says.

“Aw, because it makes you feel daintier?” she teases.

Lucas’ cheeks flushed pink, “There’s nothing wrong with feeling fancy every once in a while.”

“No arguments there.” she laughs. “You know, you look cute when you’re embarrassed.” 

Immediately, Darcie bites her lip and her eyes widen in surprise. It’s this way that Lucas realizes she didn’t mean to say that out loud, and she’s completely mortified. 

“…Wait.” Lucas’ lips break into a wide grin, and Darcie immediately hides in her pillow and curls up.

“Good night, Lucas!” she quickly cries out.

“Wait, no!” Lucas teases as he puts his arm around her and leans in her face, which she’s just burying into her pillow. “Are you saying you think I’m cute?”

This isn’t part of the game and Darcie knows damn well that Koh is teasing the hell out of her. He’s not gonna let this go. It’s one little slip, but it’s enough to make Lucas wish he could see this all the time. Cold, badass, tough Darcie DeVille, secretly a softy, easily embarrassed and likes cuddles. 

But Darcie doesn’t like to be the embarrassed one. So quickly, she emerges from her hiding foetal position and immediately goes on top of Lucas, practically straddling him. 

The sudden switch in dynamics has Lucas’ eyes widen in shock and all he can do is hope that the covers are enough to hide just _how_ happy he is that Darcie is on top of him like this.

“Lucas, you know you’re cute.” she says to him, no ounce of regret, her fierce eyes looking straight at his surprised ones.

She wasn’t even done yet. She began to kiss his jawline, and she hates how good he smelled. Like cedarwood and leather. She hates how she wants to do so much more than just kiss his neck. “And handsome.” 

His hands can’t help but wander. Lucas moans as he can feel Darcie nip at his neck slightly, knowing fully well that was going to leave a mark. His hands find her hips, then slides down slowly to her thighs, then right to her butt. The nightgown’s material was driving him absolutely wild.

She intended to just stop there. But as soon as she felt his hands so close to her skin, she couldn't control her next words...or actions.

“And sexy.” she said as she rolled her hips and went from kissing his neck to kissing his lips.

There was no mistaking it, Lucas knew damn well that Darcie knew the effect she had on him. But to his surprise, he could feel her warmth, too. 

_Holy shit, she’s actually wet for me._

His breathing became shallow. Normally so composed and in control, Lucas was absolutely helpless against Darcie’s charms. 

_But what did that mean for them? This was Love Island. They never discussed more of what they could or couldn’t do physically. They just agreed to do this. He figured that kissing was okay, of course, but what about-_

Looks like his answers were answered when she took one of his hands and guided it towards her panties, where only the thin layer was separating his finger and her wetness…

“DeVille, you’re going to be the death of me.” Lucas breathed.

“Perhaps we should stop, then.” she said, but her grinding hips indicated otherwise.

“Perhaps we should.” he said as he slowly slid the thin layer of panties out of the way and touched her lips. 

She whimpered against his touch and Lucas couldn’t believe that he was making her make these _noises_ coming out of her mouth. 

“I-Is this okay…?” he says lowly against her lips, so that only they could hear and no one else.

She stops kissing him for a second and looks into his eyes. So much emotion there…lust, caring, excitement and…concern? He really cared about her. Perhaps not in the way a real couple would, but at least as a friend. Which was amazing to her because she swears all she’s ever done is been a bitch to him.

One of those rare smiles spreads on her lips, and out of everything that Lucas has seen and felt of Darcie that night, it was this smile that truly left him breathless. That soft, innocent smile…that smile that quivered slightly on the corner, both happy and slightly afraid. 

_You don’t have to be afraid of me, Darcie. I’d never hurt you…_

He doesn’t say it, but he wonders if Darcie can read his thoughts for a moment, because as soon as he thinks it, her lips are back on his, so much softer than the first kiss, and against his lips, she whispers back, “I don’t want you to stop…should I stop?”

Then his finger enters her and she gasps in delight, her nails digging into his shoulders and arms wrapped around him furiously.

“Never.” 


	5. Good Morning Starshine

Okay, okay, fine. So she doesn’t mind doing bits with Lucas. Like, at all. 

It was a conclusion she came to when she realised that she woke up feeling more relaxed than she ever had since her first arrival in the villa.

She woke up with the sun’s rays warming her face. She could hear the sounds of birds chirping and the sounds of the sloshing waters in the pool. The scent of freshly cut grass, chlorine, and someone’s intoxicating cedarwood aftershave filled her senses. She could feel the cosy silky duvet and the warmth of someone’s strong arms holding onto her, still cuddling her even after all this time, his face buried in her neck.

But more importantly, she felt her own hands clutching his tightly. She thought to herself, she could get used to this…it was a nice sleep. 

But that doesn’t mean anything, right? Plenty of people do bits with people they don’t romantically like all the time.

And wake up feeling more refreshed than a newborn baby.

…And wishing they could do this all the time.

Whatever, didn’t mean anything.

Even if she was so at peace and relaxed that she didn’t even notice how she began singing in her head. 

_‘Good morning, Starshine…the earth says helloooo….’_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she could hear Lucas beside her moan and move. She turned to him, expecting him to look like a mess because it was the morning, but of course, the guy still looked insanely hot. He was shirtless, which helped a lot, and his usually gelled up hair was messy in a ‘post-sex’ manner, that turned her on more than it should. While they didn’t go all the way last night, they still did enough to keep each other…happy.

God, but the man was good with his fingers. She’d never guess someone would make her feel that way with their fingers alone, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Good morning. Obviously, you’re having a good morning…” Lucas grinned beside her.

“Why are you saying that?” 

“Because you’re singing.” he teased her, “‘ _Good morning, starshine…_ ’"

Suddenly, she felt her cheeks flush even more. “Argh, that was out loud? I thought it was in my head…”

Lucas couldn’t help but smile, his teeth on full display, and laughing at how mortified she was. 

“Aw, it’s okay, I think I’d sing too if I woke up first next to you…” Lucas said as he once again pulled her closer to him, despite her keeping her face in her hands.

“Ugh, shut up.” she said. 

_'There’s no way he’ll buy I accidentally did the for the cameras. Crap. But why was I singing out loud?'_

“Aw, you’re cute when you’re embarrassed.” he teased, repeating her accidental words from last night.

Not willing to face anymore humiliation, Darcie decided it was time to wake up and get ready. “Okay, I should get a head start on today…”

“Noooo!” Lucas said, grabbing her waist as she got up but pulling her back into the bed. “Come on, we’ve got all day to get ready…it’s so early.” 

She looked at him, unsure, and bit her lip, and Lucas couldn’t help but think how amazing she looked. The sky was tinted pink and orange as the sun rose, her hair was in a wavy kind of mess that looked both adorable and sexy and she held the covers around her like a security blanket. 

Truth be told, he could honestly spend the rest of the summer just looking at her this way.

“Okay fine. But only if you don’t say a word about the singing.” she orders with a smile as she lets herself plop back into the bed.

“Yay!” Lucas cheered, pulling the covers over her again and resting his chin on her head as he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like this for a while and Lucas couldn’t help but see a slight smile on Darcie’s face.

If she didn’t want to be a big-shot editor, she’d have a hell of a career as an actress. Looking at her, you’d think she was a girl who just felt pure bliss, eyes closed, small smile, caressing the arm he had around her like he was the man of her dreams.

Well, he knew he wasn’t…or was he? He was so unsure about everything.

Especially last night. 

Lucas has had his fair share of experience to know that some people didn’t mind doing bits with people they don’t necessarily love. He never understood how that worked but he knew it happened. His best mate did it, his little sister did it, hell, even his father does it (much to his mother’s displeasure of course). As far as he’s concerned, he was completely incapable of having sex with anyone if he wasn’t romantically attracted to them. Even physical attraction didn’t seem enough for him. 

Which is why, despite being 26, he’s only had sex with 7 girls. Yes, he’s fallen for seven girls in his entire lifetime. The eighth girl, well…he’s pretty sure he’s head over heels in love with her, given how all they’ve done is first base and his mind was already blown and he already considered it the best experience he’s ever had. 

But it’s possible that that certain girl may be the type to do bits with no strings attached…or was that what she believed she was but she secretly liked him? Was she just as confused as he was? 

He wants to talk about it, desperately. It’s the elephant in the room right now. He knows that asking right now is risky, but he can’t help it.

“Um, about last night…” he says, and immediately he feels her stiffen in his arms, “That was okay, right?”

Darcie wasn’t dumb. She knew he was wondering where their limits were just as much as she did. So she quickly turned around to face him, wrapping one of her legs over his hip. She looked him in the eyes and looked serious, to show him she understood what he was really asking. “You’ve asked me that several times last night already. I told you, it’s fine. I enjoyed it. Did…you?”

Lucas chuckled. Did she really need to ask, given the mess they made? 

“Of course I did! I’m just wondering if that’s okay…I mean, I know we’ve kissed before and all, but last night was kind of new for me.”

“Please. You’ve done it before.” she rolled her eyes. Believe me, I can tell you’ve had practice…

“Yeah, but never with you.” he says gently, taking her hand and rubbing circles on her palm. “I know things have been moving a bit fast and I just wanted to make sure where the boundaries are.” 

“I see what you mean.” Darcie nods. “Well, how far are you willing to go?”

_'Sexually? I want you riding me, screaming my name, digging your nails on my back and my mouth on your body._

_Romantically? I want to you to be my best friend, girlfriend, wife, mother of my child-Errrr, I mean-'_

“I mean, you’re a beautiful girl, Darcie.” he says, looking at her but avoiding her eyes because he knew damn well he was blushing. “And I am attracted to you…”

_'Physically, of course, not romantically.’_ Darcie nods understandingly.

“So basically, I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind going into the Hideaway, for instance, and just making sure you feel good. And I want to be the one making you feel good…” he says.

She smiles, and he’s not sure if she somehow did it on purpose or not, but the strap of her nightgown falls from her shoulder and slides a bit down, where he can see more of her cleavage.

For a second, she closes her eyes and breathes in and out. He could only watch as her chest got bigger as she pushed it out, whipping her hair so her neck is exposed, and lets out a moan that’s practically sinful.

“I think I’d like that.” she breathes. 

“Okay, good, just so we’re on the same picture.” Lucas says, trying very, very hard not to look too excited.

For the rest of the day, Lucas would wonder what this meant. 

On the other hand, Darcie was just happy she was finally gonna get some.

Of course, the latter would try to rationalise that that was the only reason she was happy. Not because of the person she was going to do it with. 

Because after all, that would mean she was beginning to like Lucas more than she should. 

Which is absurd. And stupid.

_…Shut up._


	6. Le Cafe Le Soir

As the girls get ready, they all find out they’re allowed to choose one boy for a date this afternoon before tonight’s girl’s choice recoupling. 

And for once, it seems like Darcie was finally catching a break as she had first pick. She doesn’t even hesitate when she picks Lucas.

“Let me act shocked. I mean, you guys did sleep in the daybeds together.” Hope grins suggestively.

“Speaking of, you still haven’t spilled! Are you now finally part of the Do Bits Society?” Lottie asks.

“A lady never kisses and tells….but yes.” Darcie laughs as every girl in the room squealed, put their arms up, and hugged her. 

“Girl, finally! I know you’ve been dying this whole time without anything! And good catch, Darce, Lucas is a snack.” Priya says, nudging her friend.

But the good mood was spoiled as soon as Marisol opened her mouth.

“Well, I was going to choose Lucas, but you just had to get your way.” Marisol says bitterly.

Suddenly, Darcie started looking around the room. She opened creams and makeup palettes, looked inside, opened up drawers, looking behind shelves...

“What are you looking for?” Marisol asks.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was looking for the logic in you suddenly liking Lucas when last night you were crying about Rocco.” Darcie deadpans. 

Beside her, she hears Hope, Priya and Lottie trying hard to hide their laughs. 

“Me? Having to get my way? Marisol, may I have some of that pot you’re so obviously smoking? Because it must be strong as fuck for you to honestly believe I’ve been getting things my way. Or did you miss me losing Rocco to Priya, then being made a mug out of everyone, then losing him to you, then ending up single?” 

Marisol sneered. “No need to be so extra, Darcie. I get your point.”

“No, you don’t. You really, really don’t.” Darcie says, putting her hands on her hips and standing up to Marisol. “Let’s get something straight here: I have tried to be civil with you. When Rocco left, I comforted you even though you have been nothing but snakey to me and straight-up selfish. Since Roccogate, I’ve made my feelings about Lucas abundantly clear. This is literally the first I’ve heard of you even acknowledging Lucas’ existence. So I don’t know. Maybe you’re playing the game. Crying one second over Rocco then suddenly mad at me for wanting Lucas in less than 24 hours? Or maybe you’re being genuine and you’re just the weird type whose emotions just go haywire. Fine. I don’t care either way. But if you’re playing some sort of game, at least be consistent and make it make sense. Or are you going to spend this entire summer caring about what I do instead of minding your own goddamn business?”

With that, Darcie removes the bun in her hair and let loose long curls, then walked out of the room, heels clicking and clacking and not bothering to check Marisol’s response. Honestly, she’s had it up to here with that girl. For a law student, you’d think she’d be a lot smarter and a lot more mature than she actually was. 

Hmph. Just goes to show, you shouldn’t judge someone based on their profession.

* * *

“So, who do you think is going to pick who?” Gary asks the boys as they all got ready.

“Guys, I think, now I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Hope’s gonna pick me.” Bobby says, earning a sarcastic collective laugh around the room. Except Noah, Lucas noticed, who didn’t seem himself lately. He figured it was the introvert in him and him never having any alone time anymore, especially with Hope. 

He sighed. Not for himself, but on Darcie’s behalf. He could already sense drama looming between those two and he knew damn well Darcie would get caught in the middle, as always. Speaking of…

“Out of curiosity,” he began, “Who do you think Darcie’s going to pick?”

To his surprise, there was another round of collective sarcastic laughter. “It’s me, obviously.” even Rahim felt the need to be sarcastic. 

“It’s not _that_ obvious…” Lucas grumbles. Somewhat bitterly, because he knows even if it’s ‘obvious’ to the rest of them, he can’t ask his boys what’s truly on his mind. 

“Are you kidding? You’ve both got it bad for each other. If last night’s noises were any indication...” Bobby commented, making Lucas choke on his water.

“How’d you hear that?! We were on the daybeds!” 

“Which should tell you how loud you two were.” Noah specifies.

Well, this was a confusing feeling. On one hand, Lucas felt relieved that everyone knew he could make his girl moan like that. Hey, he was only human, after all. But on the other, it was still embarrassing to know that everyone could hear his most intimate moments.

Er, well, not that it mattered much, considering they were on TV.

Lucas groaned, grabbing some moisturiser and tapping it on his face, hoping it would hide the red in his cheeks.

Beside him, he could feel Gary side-eye him. “Moisturiser?” 

“Yeah, it’s Darcie’s.” Lucas says, not even flinching.

“You’re using your girl’s moisturiser?” Gary asks.

“Yeah. And?” Lucas asks, ready to go into a ‘don’t tell me you’re one of those people who think only girls should care about their skin’. 

“Nothing, it’s just that Marisol’s so stingy with hers and I never get to borrow it.” Gary grumbled jealously, which only made Lucas chuckle. 

He threw the tub over to Gary. “Go ahead. I’m sure Darcie wouldn’t mind.”

“Finally!” Gary said as he lathered an abnormal amount on his face. Lucas was about to warn him that too much moisturiser isn’t a good thing either, but decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

Seconds later, he feels his phone buzz. “I’ve got a text!” 

**Lucas, Darcie has chosen you for her date today. Please get ready and meet your driver in 15 minutes. #getgrafting #girlsnighttonight**

A round of cheers fills the room, though hardly anyone is shocked.

As for Lucas, well, he allows himself the fantasy that it’s real. There’s no plot. He and Darcie never knew each other before. She never got her heart broken. She’s in this for love. They meet here and now and she chooses him, out of all the handsome and attractive men and women on this villa, it’s Lucas she wants.

The pretense both sent his heart beating and breaking at the same time.

* * *

She’s there, a vision in a red dress that just couldn’t stop him from dropping his jaw. God, but that woman knew how to dress. 

And to the producers’ credit, they knew how to set a scene. A romantic set up with wine and strawberries in a vineyard, it was a bit cliche, but cliches worked for a good reason. Although, if it were up to Lucas, this wouldn’t be their first date at all.

“Hey, you.” she smiles at him, and just from the way she does, he can tell this one’s for the cameras.

Fair enough. He could play it up if he wanted to. 

“You look…wow. Everytime I see you, you just somehow get more beautiful.” he says and means it.

“You don’t look half-bad yourself.” she grins at him.

“Just half-bad?” Lucas mocks, putting his hand over his heart. “And here I exfoliated, did a face mask, moisturised, took ages to do my hair for nothing.”

“Well, I was only downplaying it. I couldn’t exactly say that I was expecting you to look good but when you came out of that car, you exceeded all my possible dreams and expectations and I had to keep my heart from beating too fast.” she laughs. “I had to play it cool somehow. Don’t want people to think I’m a melt, after all.”

Somehow, Lucas always finds himself the one blushing when it came to Darcie. Again, he had no idea if she meant her words or not. Well, he knew she thought he was attractive, that much is certain. But did he really make her heart race?

“Well, I don’t think I look nearly as good as this place.” Lucas says, trying to change the subject. “It reminds me of the time I stayed at my friend’s parents’ Chateau in the south of France and they made their own wine.”

Darcie raised her eyebrow and Lucas flushed, realising how he sounded. “It’s…not as posh as it sounds. No one looks posh when they’re up to their knees in grapes.” 

“I’m sure.” Darcie jokes as they both sat down.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is beautiful, but if I were in complete control of my first date with you, I’d plan something a little different.” Lucas begins.

“Oh? Well, colour me intrigued. What kind of date would you plan if this was the normal world and we were on the outside?” Darcie asks, and Lucas just knows this was a real question, not just one for the cameras.

“I’d take you on a helicopter ride to Arles, France. There’s a café at the Rue de Palais that would be perfect for a date at night. I think you’d like it: croissants, French coffee, the chatter of other people around, street music in the background…” he continued.

That’s when he sees the look in her eyes that he’s been aiming for. Complete and utter shock. She doesn’t speak for a few seconds and Lucas finds himself grinning from ear-to-ear knowing he’s rendered her breathless.

“A café in Arles at the Rue de Palais, that sounds a lot like my favorite painting.” she says and Lucas realises this is the first time she’s looked so shocked.

“ _Café Terrace at Night_ , by Van Gogh. Right?” he recites without skipping a beat.

“Yes. How did you-?”

_‘_ _You mentioned it. The first time we met at that gala all those years ago. You came as his plus-one. I was in the circle of people you had been talking to, but you probably didn_ _’_ _t notice me. Someone mentions coming back from a holiday in the Netherlands, and you say you_ _’_ _ve always wanted to visit the Netherlands because your favorite painting was there. I pay attention and later on, you mentioned loving Van Gogh. I put two and two together, looked up all the Van Gogh collection in the Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, and by process of elimination, sort of made an educated guess based on your personality on what would have been your favorite out of all of them. Turns out I was right. I mean, I could have asked you straight up what was your favorite painting, but everytime I came near you that time, my mouth was always bone dry._ _’_

“You mentioned liking Van Gogh on the show during the first few episodes. That painting’s fairly popular so I just assumed.” he shrugs it off instead.

“Painting’s not _that_ popular…” Darcie says. “Especially not compared to _Irises_ or _Starry Night_.”

“What can I say? Guess it’s fate that I figured out which one you’d like the most.” Lucas smiled, realising his hand was on the table and her hand was suspiciously edging closer to his. 

There was something oddly intimate about hand-holding. This morning, he remembers feeling her clutch his hand like some kind of safety blanket, and he loved feeling her hand in his because it somehow made things more real. So, it was a complete shock when he felt her hand suddenly slipped over his, their fingers lacing together perfectly.

“I like the idea of fate bringing us together.” she says in such an overly seductive way that he knew it was her way of trying to shake off the initial shock of his thoughtfulness and remind him this was a game.

Disappointed, but still he played along. They spent the rest of the date being overtly flirtatious with each other. He realised halfway through she’d made a game out of it: who could out-cringe who the most? Every line was met with laughter and as it turns out, they were equally matched in the art of cringey pick-up lines.

“You have an Irish accent, but you have spent some time in the States. More specifically, in Tennessee, because you’re the only Ten I See.” 

“Oh, God,” she laughs and covers her face, “That’s so cringe. But actually, you know even though I grew up in Ireland, I actually spent the majority of my education in the States. New York, specifically, before coming here to pursue my degree, of course.” 

“That explains the mix of Irish accent and American slang.” Lucas nods in realisation. He always knew she had an interesting dialect and knowing this history was interesting. She really was an all-around-the-world kind of girl. Even her ethnicity was so ambiguous at times. Lucas himself was half-Korean, half-Filipino, but lived in Oxford his whole life. Not much to say there. 

“I think we’re getting closer to the end of our date.” Lucas realised as he saw the sun setting, “Which, I guess, means it’s time to pop the big question.”

“Oh, Lucas, have you already fallen in love with me and decide to propose already?” Darcie teased, “I mean, damn, I knew I was a catch, but this has to be some sort of record.”

“You joke, but pretty sure I’ve been planning our kids’ names and the color we’re going to paint our house in like, within a week of knowing you.” he says in such an exaggerated manner that one could only assume he was joking.

“Ah, fair enough. I expect nothing less than a stone-colored home with a light charcoal roof and white linings, FYI. And there has to be a fireplace.” she plays along, without telling him that she was actually describing her dream home.

“But of course, the fireplace is essential. Shall I have a faux fur rug placed in front of it?” Lucas drawled.

“Well, yes, where else would we make vigorous, mind-blowing love?” she asks as if it’s the most obvious thing ever.

He gulps, and tries to hide it, “But of course, anything for the Madame. But no, I was actually talking about the recoupling.”

“I figured.” she laughs, “So, where’s your head at?”

“Well, it’s girls’ choice so, it’s really to you, isn’t it?” 

“I want to couple up with you.” she says bluntly. “If that’s something you want me to do?”

“Yeah, of course!” he says, a bit too enthusiastically, which makes her laugh and causes him to clear his throat. “Let me start over. Yeah, sure, that’d be cool.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re very chill about the decision.” she laughs. Before they know it, it’s time to go. But as Lucas gets up, Darcie raises her eyebrow.

“Lucas? You’re not seriously going to end this without kissing me goodbye, are you?” she teases him. 

_'It’s for the cameras.’_ Lucas has to remind himself as he steps forward, cups his hand on her jawline and moves forward, giving her the softest wisp of a kiss at first, but as she thinks it’s over, he gives her another kiss, this time stronger.

He’s not sure, but he swears he hears her whimper in pleasure at some point. He stops, because he knows if he goes any further, he’ll be forced to take her right then and there. 

He realises just how heavily she’s breathing after he pulls away, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, super.” she squeaks, before clearing her throat. “We should, ah, get going.”

And with that, she walks away from him.

As she does, she has to remind herself to take one step at a time because she’s pretty sure her legs have completely turned to jelly after that kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl I don't know if anyone's actually interested or keeping up with this story XD Oh well, I've got some time in my hands right now so I'll be updating a bit every so often. But it'd be nice to hear from you guys if you're enjoying it so far!


	7. Family Portrait

The coupling is tonight and Lucas can feel the nervousness in the air as all the boys comb their hairs, iron their best shirts, and splash on cologne like it was about to run out.

Of course, he had nothing to worry about. Actually, none of them did. He’s pretty sure they were all going to get picked by the girl they wanted, with the exception of Bobby who didn’t seem to want anyone at the moment, but will probably end up in a friendship couple with Marisol.

When the time of the coupling came, to absolutely no one’s surprise, Hope picked Noah first. Darcie was next and despite knowing the outcome, Lucas found himself taking a deep breath.

“Things haven’t been easy for me lately,” Darcie began, and everyone unanimously agreed, “But there is one person, aside from my girls of course…”

She says, smiling to all the girls who all cheered, “…who has made things a little easier for me lately. So, I want to couple up with this boy because he’s sweet, makes me laugh, has no problem standing up for me and showing how much he cares for me, and to be honest, I think we’d make a great team. So, the boy I want to couple up with is Lucas.”

She winks at him, and he’s surprised to see how everyone erupts in cheers. He hears a few ‘finally’s and ‘about time’s, and it all just added up to his delight when he walked up to her, cupped her face and began snogging her right then and there in front of the whole villa.

“Well, he’s wasting no time!” Gary laughs.

Challenging him, Darcie kisses back with as much ferocity, her hands getting tangled in his hair and a soft, gentle roll of her body against his.

“O…kay. Well, I guess if the Hideaway’s open tonight, we know who’s going.” Priya suggests.

“If the Hideaway is sound-proof, by all means…” Bobby says, shuddering from last night’s memory.

Darcie and Lucas both laugh as they finally pulled away, but they both slid their hands until they were holding each other’s as they walked to the firepit and sat down together. Immediately, Darcie puts her legs over Lucas’ lap, and he puts his arm around her waist and quickly kisses her cheek, to which she giggles to.

As Lucas predicts, Lottie chooses Gary, Priya chooses Rahim and Marisol chooses Bobby.

To his delight, when the hideaway is open, everyone’s more than glad to suggest they be the ones to use it for tonight. Darcie merely winks and leads him to the hideaway with a grin. It’s their first time in the hideaway and it’s obvious that it’s set for a romantic night: huge king-sized bed, candles, a basket full of chocolates and strawberries, champagne on ice and a balcony outside with a small jacuzzi.

Immediately, they both go out to the balcony to take a look and both of them gasped. They could always see the sky full of stars at night but it seemed like there was even more tonight than there usually was. From below, the lights of the villa softly glowed and it was just overall a beautiful view. Lucas is never going to get used to the sight, he thinks.

“I’m a city girl at heart, but…” Darcie begins, “You don’t get stars like this in the city.”

“No, you don’t. But I guess it makes us appreciate it a bit more.” Lucas ponders. Out of nowhere, he sees a star twinkling a bit brighter than others. As a toddler, he’d always like to pretend there was a special star watching over him, granting him all his wishes. Then as a kid, he’d made up this funny story in his head an alien was watching him (blame his stupid kid sister for making him watch _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ ). 

The memory makes him chuckle, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “Do you believe in aliens?”

“Huh?”

“Aliens. Do you believe in them?”

The question was so random that he realised how stupid it was. He sounded like a total nerd. He wanted to take it back and was ready to change the subject, until-

“Of course I do. The universe is way too big for the only living beings to just be the ones on Earth. But I guess for some people, it’s necessary for human ego to believe that humans are the only ones capable of survival.” 

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying!” Lucas exclaimed. They both walked out of the balcony and began to sit on the bed.

“What I will say though is that people jump to conclusions way too fast sometimes. Like my brother, for instance, he is convinced certain politicians are lizard-aliens in disguise. Like, don’t get me wrong, I love me a good conspiracy theory, but it’s so bizarre when people take it as 100% facts.”

“Huh. I didn’t realise you had a brother.” Lucas remarked. For some reason, he always pictured Darcie as this only child.

From the look on Darcie’s face, it seemed like she’d wish she was. “We’re not that close.” 

“That’s a shame…I have a little sister back at home. We bicker sometimes, but at the end of the day, she’s one of the closest people to me.” he ponders out loud.

But as soon as he sees the look on Darcie’s face, he regrets it. He didn’t mean to make her feel bad about her own relationships. Before he could say anything, she gave a longing sigh, “I wish I was close to my family. Would make things a lot easier.”

Now, this was new to Lucas. He always wondered about Darcie’s home life. It was something she rarely discussed. An oddity for him, as most of the people around him had a tendency to humble-brag about their family legacy, their family’s accomplishments, and somehow link it to theirs. But Darcie only spoke of her accomplishments and hers alone, which made her getting a university degree seem grander in comparison to someone who inherited a Fortune 500 company through their father even though they themselves weren’t all that clever.

“I’m sorry to hear that. But what about your parents? Are you close with any of them?” he asks.

“Used to have a dad, of course, but he’s out of the picture, back in the States. Fine by me, we were never that close anyway. My ma and brother are up in Ireland. My older brother’s…well, let’s just say he’s in a lot of trouble. It’s always been up to me to clean up after his mess and take care of my mom. It’s a bit rough, considering my mom doesn’t exactly earn much and I basically have to provide for everyone.” she explains, taking a long deep breath. “University studies, especially law, while having to work at the same time, then everytime you receive a phone call home, it’s usually bad news from your mom who’s frustrated about your father or brother or telling you about money issues in detail? Gets a bit much at times.” 

Hearing that made Lucas’ heart ache a bit. He’s had his fair share of family problems, but one thing he’s never had to worry about was money. He’s never considered how odd it must have been for her, studying in a prestigious university, being in his social circle, constantly surrounded by people of wealth and privileged backgrounds. Meanwhile, she had to work for everything she’s ever had. 

Instantly, he can understand why she was so apprehensive of him. Lucas’ default was to brag about his wealth and background, because that always seemed to be what drew people in. It was only last year when Lucas realised he sounded like every single one of his posh, snobby, naive friends. While bragging did effectively drew people in, all his life, it drew the wrong sort of people: the kind who only stayed with him for money or status. It explained so much why Lucas often felt like he never had a real friend or made a genuine connection. 

“I’m sorry to hear that…” he can only say, “I have no idea what it’s like. I can only imagine how difficult it is. I think if it were me, I’d feel a need to be tough and strong even when I don’t want to be, just because I’d feel so responsible for too much.” 

Darcie nods, somewhat sadly he notices. It’s automatic and he doesn’t mean to do it but somehow, his hand finds hers and he pulls her in between his legs, until she’s resting on his chest and he hugs her around her waist. He’s not quite sure why he does it. Maybe it’s that look on her face. Maybe it’s the thought of how difficult her life is and the need to protect her. But either way, he feels a little better when he feels her body soften a bit at his touch.

“It’s not all bad. Being poor lets you be crafty sometimes.” she shrugs it off. “Like…my clothes, for instance. I sew my own clothes from time to time.” 

His eyes widened, “Wait, you do?”

“Yep. You know that crop top and skirt checked combo outfit I wear? It used to be an XL men’s shirt that I got for £3 at a charity shop. My green bikini with all those straps? The straps are sewed and added on by me and are actually straps from an old shirt that was too small for me. And this little number,” she says, gesturing to her matching blue velvet bralette and velour shorts, “Sewed it myself with pieces of velvet fabric that cost me £6.” 

“That explains why you’re always dressed so nicely.” Lucas remarked, genuinely impressed. “For some reason, I always thought your clothes were some kind of high-end brand.”

She chuckles, “Well, thank you. Not to toot my own horn, but I can be creative when I want to be. Needs must, and all.” 

“You don’t get the chance to vent about these things, do you?” he asks softly, his arms moving from her waist until her shoulders, hugging her as close to him as he could. He was about to let go, afraid he was suffocating her, but to his amazement, her hands clutched onto his arms, trying to feel him closer to her.

A sad, almost sarcastic chuckle leaves her lips. “What gave it away?”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind being someone you can talk to at all.” he says, leaning forward a bit and kissing the top of her forehead.

“Oh. Those are nice.” she smiles.

“Figured you’d be a fan of forehead kisses.” he laughs as he begins to belt her with forehead kisses until she feels almost ticklish about it.

“Okay, okay, stop!” she squeals in between laughs. “You are so going to use this as a weapon against me, aren’t you?”

“Me? Perish the thought, my dear lady.” he jokes. As their laughter dies down, he feels the need to pull her in close again. “But seriously, anytime you want to vent or talk about anything and everything, I’m here.”

Her head suddenly turns to him and he can’t read the look in her eyes. 

Truth is, his words suddenly snapped her back into reality. The past few minutes replayed in her head and she began to register the fact that she unintentionally spoke about things she rarely spoke about. Only her best friend back at home knew these stories. 

She had absolutely no idea how it happened. She was usually so careful about these things. Perhaps she was just tired. Yes, that’s it. It’s been a long day and she had this funny feeling that some serious shit was about to go down and she’d have to be right in the middle of it. Call it intuition or an estimated guess based on everyone’s behavior recently.

Either way, she was too tired to question it. A yawn escapes her. She’s not only mentally tired, she’s physically tired. 

Tonight would have been an excellent time to play it up for the cameras. Do some bits. Exaggerated flirting. Over-the-top romantic gestures. Not talk about aliens and DMCs about family. But she just didn’t have the energy.

She was about to apologise, then she felt the covers being pulled on top of her. She began to sink from a sitting position to a lying down position, as did Lucas, until he was just spooning her on top of him. “You look like you need some sleep.” 

She’s not quite sure how or why, but something lately was making her feel more relaxed than usual. She didn’t feel like she had to keep her usual guard and pretense up. Lately, she’s felt like she could be more open and be herself, without having to worry about what people thought of her.

Darcie is someone who stresses out a lot and tends to do everything to relax, from lavender oils to teas to meditation music. Nothing ever seems to work. Perhaps it’s the holiday in the villa, but recently, she’s been feeling a lot calmer and less tense. She wonders why, but she decides not to question it, at least for now, and instead just enjoy the fact that she feels so blissfully tired that she could start falling asleep and have an inkling she’ll sleep like a baby tonight.

“Good idea…” she murmurs, already falling half asleep as she used Lucas’ neck like a pillow. “Good night, Lucas…”

He runs his fingers through her hair and gives her another soft kiss on her forehead, which made her relax and sleep faster than any sleeping tea she’s ever had before. “Sweet dreams, Darcie…"

* * *

Fun fact, because the mics need to be recharged between the hours of 5 and 8am, the Islanders actually have three entire hours where they can’t be listened to or recorded. Darcie was the only one to figure out, as the moment she stepped foot into the villa, she kept looking for the producers’ weak spots. She found it when she noticed the little light on her mic disappears at 6am the very next day.

So, she takes this opportunity to talk to Lucas and strategise.

They both knew more people were bound to show up in the villa. And Darcie had this theory that they’re going to do something to shake things up at some point.

“If I were a producer, I think I’d separate the boys and girls for a while and have them meet new people to purposely try and get their heads turned.” she explains. 

“Makes sense. Maybe they’ll do it by taking on a group to a club and leaving the other group at the villa to party with new people. Or even get a second villa to put half of us in.” Lucas wonders. “So, if that happens, what’s the plan?"

“If we play it safe and don’t bring anyone, we could look too boring. Remember Jen and Tim from last season? They were drama-free and stayed together for the longest time but nothing happened. We need something to rock the boat a bit.”

“Good point.” Lucas said, “So I bring someone back?”

She looked at him with a scowl, seemingly displeased with the idea, but then huffed, “Yes. It’s a good idea. But I can’t let you make a mug out of me, either. That’s just gonna paint you as the bad guy and me as a victim, then we’ll definitely lose our chances. So I’m going to bring someone back, too.”

“…Oh. That’s fine.” Lucas says, as he screams internally.

You’d think after all those years of seeing her with her ex, he’d be fine with seeing her kiss and crack on with someone else. But this feels different. Even though it was all pretend, he knew what it felt like to sleep next to her. To kiss her. To taste her. To hold her…He’s not sure he can hide his jealousy if he saw her do all those things with someone else.

Which, now that he thought about it, was actually a good thing considering their plan.

“But here’s the catch: we need to make sure we tell someone, you have to tell one of the lads and I’ll tell one of the girls, that the only reason we’re both bringing someone back is because we’re both afraid of the other’s heads being turned. So I say, if we get separated or something, we play it like we still miss each other and we can’t flirt with anyone. If we can try to stay in a day bed on our own, let’s.”

“That’s a good idea.” Lucas agrees, "But then as the days go on, we’ll play up the paranoia. Knowing the producers they’ll try to make us question each other’s loyalty by some kind of challenge or something. When that happens, only then will we flirt and even then, let’s keep it to a minimal. Let the audience know we’re still each other’s first choice, but fear got the best of us.” 

Darcie looked at him with an impressed smirk. “You catch on quick, Koh. I’m impressed.”

“You’re not the only Oxford graduate.” Lucas smirked back, wondering if her suddenly biting her lip was a sign she was just as turned on by his smirk.

It was then and only then does he realise that despite being in the hideaway, providing a perfect opportunity to play up some moments for the cameras, they actually spent the night just talking and just falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

But this morning, it felt different. Darcie was overly analytical, like she was talking to a business partner rather than a friend. Well, granted, their initial deal probably started out in a business-partnery way, but given the past few days, he thought it had morphed to more. Perhaps not enough that she’d see him the way he sees her, obviously, but certainly enough to consider him a friend. He was sure he’d reach this, given how she opened up to him.

That’s when he could feel his heart sink, as a certain reminder hit him: during their talk last night, the cameras were rolling. While they didn’t exactly do bits, they had a heart-to-heart and a relatively cute moment. Or at least, he thought they did. What if it was fake? What if Darcie had staged it all? 

It was a possibility, but…at the same time, Lucas doubted it so much. Love Island moves fast and if you’re as clever as he was, he could detect the differences between Darcie playing it up for the cameras and Darcie being herself. But perhaps he was only kidding himself, seeing what he wanted to see.

Or another possibility was, she is falling for him. And she doesn’t want to.

Whatever the case, as Darcie announced she was about to get up and get ready for the day, Lucas felt like he had to say something.

“Hey, Darce?” 

“Hmm?”

“Um, if you end up liking someone during this summer, I-“

“I won’t.” Darcie interrupts immediately. He can’t tell if it’s because she was so certain of it or because she was repeating it to herself as some kind of mantra. “In case you haven’t noticed, Koh, I’m in this to win. Not for love.”

“Right…” Lucas says. “But say, theoretically, you found someone who really fancied you and would do anything for you. And you sort of like them back. What’s the harm in giving them a chance?”

She paused for a moment.

“There’s no harm in giving them a chance. The harm comes if I fall in love with them.” she says softly.

_'She's afraid of trusting._ ' Lucas thinks. And he doesn't blame her one bit. It seems like given everything he knew about her, she can't afford to give herself to someone only to get her heart broken.

“Darcie, I know it’s going to sound really cliche, but not everyone is going to be like that. I know you’re still hurting over…well, you-know-who, but he was a snake. I know not everyone thinks that but he used to be my friend. I’ve seen how he was like with other girls, too. And I think he really loved you, but at the end of the day, I also knew he didn’t deserve you. Not everyone’s a snake, though. And not everyone’s out to hurt you. In fact, some people probably would want nothing more than to protect you from any harm…”

Her gaze softens. For a brief moment, her lips part ever so slightly, and her eyes stare right back into his. If this were any other girl, he would assume this would be his queue to step forward and give her the gentlest kiss ever. Not like the kisses they’ve had. But one that would let her know he cared for her, that he wanted to be there for her, that he wanted to be hers, without needing to say anything out loud. But he knew her and he knew if he does this now, she’s going to run away.

So he doesn’t move or do anything. Instead, she reacts.

“I don’t need protection.” the words seem harsh and firm, but her voice is still soft and gentle. 

“I know you don’t need it. But I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be so bad if you gave someone a chance. If you liked them enough…” Lucas trails off.

_Please take the hint._

“Just some food for thought.” he says, shrugging. 

“Thanks, Koh. I’ll keep that in mind.” she nods and her face is unreadable, as it often was.

Although Lucas was left wondering whether his words had any impact, he had no way of knowing it was actually all Darcie could think about the whole day. She was not known for easily giving people chances. Her ex was the only one she truly gave several chances to, and he broke every single one of them. She thought she was being mature, sacrificing pride for trust, instead this resulted in her downfall.

She wanted to never fall in love. But she was a practical woman. She knew that realistically, it was bound to happen again. But Lucas brought up an excellent point: it might happen when she didn’t want it to. The very thought was so exciting yet frightening. She knew what she was like in love: loyal, trusting, caring, would go to the ends of the world for that one person. Such qualities were so often taken advantage of. She dreaded the idea of giving her love to someone who would once again abuse it. 

The whole thing gave her a headache. So she went around the villa talking to a few people. She found out a ridiculous plot Priya and Bobby had to break up ‘Nope’, which she was just not interested in. She warned them they were playing with fire, but as per usual, neither listened. This was probably going to blow up in their faces and she could already predict that someone she’d get caught in the midst of it all. 

Ugh. The very thought already gave her a pre-headache, if such a thing was possible.


	8. Obsessed

Darcie never did have much experience clubbing or partying. The closest she went were networking events or important galas or dinners her ex used to take her to. In general, it was something she could take or leave. 

But sometimes, part of her wonders if she missed out.

There was something spicy about parties, especially when you’re surrounded with friends, alcohol, and a boy you liked. 

Ahem, was pretending to like. Romantically, speaking, of course.

Darcie could fully admit Lucas was a laugh. A right sort, honestly, the kind she wouldn’t mind being friends with. 

But last night was…odd. 

As was this morning. 

She tried not to think about it all day, which proved easier than expected since Bobby and Priya’s Operation Nope business had somewhat blew up in their faces when they were caught by Hope. Once again, Darcie was requested to put out little fires everywhere. She was both reluctant and glad to help. After all, she was a little over being everyone’s go-to for when there were problems. However, it did give her a reason to avoid Lucas the whole day, something she desperately needed.

Why was she avoiding him?

Uh…well, okay, she’s not really sure why.

As she applied the golden tattoos on herself in the mirror, silence took the normally loud dressing room as everyone concentrated on each other’s tattoos and she began to realise that she’d been relying on the chaos to avoid thinking too much about last night.

And the past few days, really. In a short amount of time, Lucas managed to get her to open up a bit more and hasn’t exactly been shy in letting her know he cared about her. But she was starting to think perhaps he cared a wee bit more than he let on…

Another dangerous thing to consider is just how easily she fell asleep when he was around. She’d never been good at sleeping on beds that weren’t hers for some reason, hence why she knew that was going to be a bit challenging this summer. Sharing a bed with Rocco was a bit tough, considering how it reminded her so much of waking up next to her ex. The mornings have always been lousy for her.

But not since Lucas arrived and they started sleeping on the same bed. Earlier, she tried to take a nap without him and with no success. In fact, she felt the same discomfort she’s been feeling since before Lucas came. She also noticed that unlike with Rocco, she woke up in the mornings feeling an odd sense of calm and peacefulness. She often felt like smiling and singing and staying in bed, feeling blissfully chill…

And the whole day, as she avoided Lucas, he was actually the person she wanted to talk to the most. She’d wanted to go to him and bitch about this whole dumb drama. When she got an ice lolly out of the fridge earlier, her eyes automatically scanned the villa to look for him specifically so she could share one with him. When something funny happened earlier as she was messing around with Gary and Bobby, she made a mental note to remember the joke so she could tell Lucas eventually…

The only question was, why? Why did she suddenly miss Lucas so much? Why did she suddenly care what he thought? Why were his words constantly replaying in her head? Why did they sleep so easily together? Why is it when she felt his skin against hers, she felt like her entire body was on fire? Why did her heart seem to beat faster and slower at the same time every time she felt him kiss her? Why-

“Darcie! Come on, you already look great! Let’s go!” Lottie says, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Right!” Darcie cried immediately, trying to compensate for her deep thoughts.

Lottie tilted her head to the side, “You okay, babes? You look a bit…I don’t know. You’ve got the same expression I did when I was in school trying to figure out trigonometry.” 

“Oh, I’m fine.” Darcie waved her hand dismissively. 

Lottie wasn’t entirely convinced, but she sensed that now wasn’t the time to push the question any further. Perhaps in the morning…

“Well, you look great tonight! I can’t believe you’ve got a custom Ministry of Sound outfit! Lucas is going to die when he sees you.” Lottie grins as she grabs Darcie’s hand and drags her outside.

Lost in thought, Darcie felt herself panic. Lucas! She was going to have to see him tonight. Surely, she can still manage to avoid him right?

…Right?

“Love Island Iced Teas!” Bobby shouted from the kitchen and immediately, Darcie made a beeline for the alcohol.

Without even letting Bobby compliment her on her outfit, she grabbed two small shot glasses and immediately drank them both together at the same time. 

“Whoa. Starting early, Darce?” Marisol raised her eyebrows as she saw her.

“I’ve got a feeling I’m gonna need it.” Darcie says. “Bobby! Gimme a Love Island Iced Tea…and make sure it’s like 70% alcohol.”

Bobby and Marisol looked at each other but shrugged as Bobby obeyed.

As soon as he made her drink and set it in front of her, Darcie took a long sip and was ready to ask for more of it.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Lucas has been to his fair share of parties, but he had to admit, tonight everything looked lush. There were lights set up of every color, a DJ playing songs, an entire table of alcohol laid out and everyone had come wearing their best clubbing outfits.

Which, for Darcie, meant a ridiculously sexy two-piece silver ensemble that caused Lucas to take a cold shower within 5 minutes of seeing her. 

When he came back from his quick shower, he was surprised to see she had already finished two Love Island Iced Teas and seemed to be laughing it up with…Marisol of all people.

Curious, he walked up to them and began to hear their conversation.

“Okay, okay, okay, never have I ever…cheated on an exam.” Darcie said, and both she and Marisol took a drink and laughed.

“You know, I gotta say, Marisol, you’ve chilled the fuck out for some time now. I’m glad. When you’re not being so jell, you’re actually pretty cool.” Darcie says, a slur in her words telling Lucas she’s beginning to get tipsy.

“I think that’s just the booze in you talking.” Marisol giggles, although Lucas did notice Marisol trying to be a little nicer towards Darcie lately. He guessed whatever animosity she held for her was finally gone. Or she’s finally realised up that being on Darcie DeVille’s bad side was not wise.

Darcie’s back was turned, but Marisol saw Lucas and grinned, “Ooh, I think it’s my cue to go.”

She winks at Darcie, who just looks confused. When she turns to see Lucas, she looks almost terrified. Shocked, even. Her entire body looks like it wants to run away.

“Oh, Lucas, he-“ she says, but the heels she wears causes her to trip a bit. Luckily, Lucas has crazy fast reflexes and catches her.

“Whoa, easy, now…” Lucas says, a bit worried, “You okay?”

As if a switch flips, she stops avoiding his gaze and instead looks at him right in his eyes, giving him a 1000-kilowatt smile. “Fantastic! Never been better, Lulu!” 

“‘Lulu’?” Lucas laughs. 

She laughs along with him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she goes on the tip of her toes. His hands slowly drop to her waist. “Lucas…” 

“Yes?” Lucas can feel his breath hitch and his heart stop. His eyes are stuck on Darcie, who looked euphoric, dazed, happy and…sad? Scared? Confused?

“Hey…” Lucas says gently, taking the strand of hair falling on her face and tucking it behind her ear, “Talk to me. What’s up?”

“…THERE’S NEW PEOPLE!” she screams as she quickly pulls away from Lucas, grabbing his hand and quickly running towards a beefy-looking guy and a petite blonde girl.

She’s weirdly fast considering the stiletto heels she was wearing.

“OMG, it’s Darcie! Hi!” the blonde was squeals, making a beeline towards Darcie and immediately hugging her. 

Caught off-guard, Darcie nearly trips, but she hugs her back anyway. “I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you! It feels like I know you already! I’ve watched every single episode!”

“You’ve been watching us?” Hope asks.

Darcie snorts, “No, duh, Hope, the cameras aren’t just here for decoration.”

Hope rolls her eyes and laughs, “Shh, I’m tipsy, don’t make me make sense.”

Lucas blinked. When he looked all around him, it seemed like everyone was tipsy already or starting to be. How long was he taking that shower for?

When he snapped back into reality, he suddenly heard the new girl talk about how Lottie and Gary apparently kissed. Then all hell broke loose.

Lottie left, Priya yelled, the new people looked nervous and in a blink of an eye, Darcie was out of his arms and dragged into the new Islander drama.

He sighed. Knowing this place, she won’t be available to talk for a while. He decided to go catch up on the booze that everyone else had so clearly drank a lot of already. 

On his way to the kitchen, he catches Gary talking to Lottie, comforting her. Lottie then smiles at him and Lucas can’t help but think of how different Lottie looked when she smiled at Gary. It was sweet, really. He watched as Lottie walked away, wiping tears from her eyes and walking back towards Darcie and the new girl, who seemed to quickly become fast friends judging by the number of empty shot glasses on the table right next to them. 

“I get why she’s upset, but to be honest, this will all blow over soon.” Gary sighs. “I hate seeing her so upset, though…”

Lucas gives a jealous smile, “It’s sweet how you two care for each other a lot.”

'And know where you stand. And actually like each other…'

“You’re telling me that? Mate, we’re just trying to compete with you and Darcie!” Gary laughs. “Listen, I know on the outside it might look like ‘Nope’ is the couple goals, but honestly? Everyone here knows it’s Lucie.”

“‘Lucie’?” Lucas asks.

“Well, it was either Lucie or Darcas. I think Lucie has a nicer ring to it. Could be what you name your future daughter, too.” Gary winks.

Lucas just laughs, “I wish. I mean…I don’t know. Sometimes, it feels like I like Darcie way more than she’ll ever like me.”

A look of confusion and surprise came over Gary’s face. “Huh…that’s interesting. What makes you say that?”

“Just a vibe I get.” Lucas shrugs. It’s the closest he’ll ever get to telling someone the truth here.

“Well, you know what Lottie told me?” Gary began. “She was reading the tea leaves from yours and Darcie’s cups from this morning, the ones on the sink.”

“Not sure if I believe in that stuff.” Lucas says skeptically.

“Me neither, but I have to admit, Lottie’s been doing her readings lately and some stuff she says has been weirdly accurate, so take this for what it is: on Darcie’s cup, she saw a candle, which apparently means enlightenment. On your cup, she saw a dragon, which she told me meant big changes. But on both of your cups, she saw wavy lines, which apparently means a difficult journey.”

“That doesn’t sound good…” Lucas began to feel a little nervous. He didn’t believe in these things, but who doesn’t feel a little uneasy when someone says they’ll face something ominous?

“Wait for it. She saw wavy lines on both your cups, yeah, but she also saw swans. She told me swans were a good thing, they represented good luck and a happy love life.” Gary continued. “Yeah, I had the same look on your face when she told me. But then she explained that all tea leaves told stories. In this case, she said Darcie was going to realise something important and whatever it was, it was going to mean big changes for your relationship with her. She said that this realisation of hers would make her struggle for a while and you will too, but she’s confident this has a happy ending and it’ll all end with you two running off into the sunset hand in hand.”

“Because of the swans?” Lucas clarifies.

“Because of the swans.” Gary nods. 

“Right…” Lucas takes a deep breath. Sure, he was an optimistic and a bit of a romantic, but even he doubted the power of future predictions via herbs. “Well, I hope she’s right.”

“I know it all sounds mental, but hey, what can I say? Just trust the swans, mate.” Gary patted his back, took a long chug of his pint and jogged towards the dance floor.

Lucas sighed, deep in thought. He could hear the music and laughter in the background, but he felt like having a few minutes to think as he began to sip his drink/

While he still thought Lottie’s drivel was nonsense, there was an interesting point made: Darcie’s epiphany. While tea leaves may not automatically make this happen, it didn’t mean Lucas couldn’t.

_‘Hmm, this drink is delicious…You can barely taste the alcohol.'_

There was one thing he could do to to Darcie to evoke an epiphany: tell her the truth. This wasn’t a game for him. Not anymore. Though it never really was. It started out as flirting, him wanting to get to know her and figure out why she was so alluring to him, but now, she just seemed more real…

She was a girl from a broken family, just like he was. She was hurt so many times but so many people, something he can understand very well. Her experiences made her tough, ambitious and strong. But it also made her protective. She builds walls, forever keeping people from hurting her or getting too close. She wants to be loved, wants someone to hold her at night and smother her with forehead kisses and listen to her sing. But she’s more afraid of heartbreak than she wants love.

_‘Did I always have two whole empty pints of this stuff? Everyone always said I was a lightweight. Should I drink another? Eh, what the hell…'_

She listens to old music. She loves art. She’s a master strategist but at the same time she never wants to go too far to hurt someone for real. She calls people out but is willing the forgive them the second they show maturity and genuine sorry. Sometimes, her blind loyalty to someone she cares about causes her to be a bit biased sometimes but it shows just how much she cares.

She…She probably didn’t understand that this wasn’t a game for him. Why would she? She was the sort to rationalised everything. Everytime Lucas said or did something that anyone would think was romantic, she probably thought he was just playing the game.

But he doesn’t want to play games anymore. 

And as he downs his third pint of whatever delicious ungodly cocktail Bobby created, he decided tonight was the night. He was going to tell her.

_‘Darcie, get ready for your candle!’_

He turned around, expecting to have to drag Darcie away from a group of screaming people. To his surprise, he saw her dancing…with Lottie…and Priya…and the new girl?

What the-?

“They sorted it out!” Rahim explains beside him, seeing the confusion in Lucas’ face. “Well, more accurately, Darcie did. That girl of yours is something. I saw her sit down Lottie and Priya, then Lottie and the new girl, and somehow now they’re all best friends. Girls are proper weird.”

“But I’ve only been gone for perhaps 30 minutes?!” Lucas exclaimed.

Rahim shrugged, “Don’t know what to tell you, mate. She works fast.” 

He stared at her, dancing, swaying without a care in the world and oddly enough, his jaw drops and he just…laughs.

_‘God, but you’re amazing.’_

Did she even realise how impressive she was? She literally prevented a villa disaster and somehow got everyone to get along and dance together like they were in some kind of Disney movie. The new girl held her hand, Darcie grabbed it and twirled. Her skirt flared a little and her curls flew in the air. He swears he could see glitter coming off her, too. Although he wanted to be with her, sometimes, he could spend ages just looking at her…

“Lucas!” Darcie smiles as she sees him, then waves for him to come over. Immediately, she grabs both of his hands and starts dancing in this silly, exaggerated way, like they were at some disco as opposed to a club setting. Everyone around them cheers as Lucas comes in, like the party just got a whole lot better.

As soon as he comes into the crowd, everyone seems to smother him with a huge group hug, led by Darcie, then piled on by Bobby, then Lottie, then the new girl, the every single Islander until he eventually felt himself fall onto the ground, with Darcie right on top of him.

“What’s this all about?” Lucas couldn’t control his laughter. It was just so freakin’ ridiculous but he felt so loved at the same time as everyone starts to get up, with Darcie holding him by the hands and helping him get back on his feet, but never quite letting go of her hold on him.

“Her idea!” Priya pointed to Darcie, who shrugged with a coy smile.

“I pointed out you looked a bit glum, so Darcie practically ordered us all to tackle you with a group hug.” Gary explained, giving Lucas a suggestive look that said ‘thank me later’.

“Aww, you didn’t have to!” Lucas smiled at Darcie as he kissed her forehead, which caused her to erupt in giggles.

“Well, I did tell her that there’s one thing she could to cheer you up-Hey!” Lottie began, but then Darcie through her empty plastic cup at her. “Hush you! That’s for later…”

Lucas blushed and everyone around him wolf-whistled then went back to dancing while he danced with Darcie.

He’s pretty sure it’s the alcohol, but Darcie just seemed so carefree tonight, a word he doesn’t really associate with her. She was always calculating, classy and in control. Tonight, she really did look free and happy, her cheeks flushed, her usually perfect curls in a bit of a disarray after all that dancing, her movements were a lot looser and freer.

“You’re spectacular, you know that?” he tells her and she just laughs.

“Aw, you’re just saying that…” Darcie slurs her words.

“No, I mean it!” he says, realising his words were starting to sound a little slurred, too. He cupped her face in his hands and stared at her, trying to get her to understand him a bit better. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are? All you ever do is help people here, put out fires, and just solve everything. Even when it’s terrifying, you just always act so brave about it all. Seriously. The last thing I saw was the whole Villa about the explode. I turn my back for one second and next thing I know, you made everyone love each other again!”

Darcie laughs, “‘Love’ is a strong word…”

“Sometimes, it’s not strong enough.” he mutters, but she hears him perfectly.

They both stop dancing. They were surrounded by people who danced and sang and laughed like there was no tomorrow, yet they stood as still as the moon above them and simply stared at each other.

And he didn’t want to move. He was just content being with her, seeing how she looked at him…

Her lips parted, slightly, but the corners of her lips edged upwards. Her eyes were hopeful and filled with wonder, like she was staring at something magical. Her fingertips ghosted the hands he cupped her face with, stroking them delicately and giving him shivers.

She loved him back. She had to. No one can look at someone like that without it meaning something. 

“Darcie, I-“ 

But what Lucas had been dying to say all night had been interrupted as Darcie’s hand found the back of his head and she slowly tilted his head towards her, leaning in for a deep kiss.

In the background, he can hear the music play...

_I ran through all your veins_

_I saw all of your visions_

_I found all of you, babe_

_But I couldn’t find me anywhere_

_And now I’m stuck inside of you..._

* * *

Everything was happening so fast. The alcohol dulled her senses. The music was louder, melodic, a siren’s call. The colors of everyone’s clothes and bodies around her swivelled fast. But the most overwhelming thing by far was feeling her body move in sync with Lucas’. 

Every time she looked at him, his words came back into her head.

_‘_ _Not everyone’s out to hurt you. In fact, some people probably would want nothing more than to protect you from any harm…'_

She remembered Gary telling her he was a bit upset and she wanted to go over there and talk to him. Tell him to talk to her. Ask him what’s wrong. What could she do to make things better?

But she knew the answers to those questions, and she feared them. She fears that all she wants to do is to take off their party clothes, put on cosy pajamas and lay in bed all night and talk. She’s afraid she wants to return the favor and kiss his forehead, run her fingers through his hair and let him talk as he falls asleep with her holding him. She’s terrified all she can think about is making him feel happy. So instead, she chickened out, the coward she is, and barks orders at everyone to tackle-hug him when he comes, so she has an excuse to be silly and to make him feel better.

_'But I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be so bad if you gave someone a chance. If you liked them enough…'_

“…What am I doing?” she whispers, eyes still closed and lips still on his.

“Darcie, don’t stop, please…” he whispers back.

And so she doesn’t. She pushed her lips back on his and gently slid her tongue across his. She can’t hear any music. She can’t hear anyone else. She only hears his breathing, and her heart.

“You. Are. Everything.” he breathes.

“I want you, I really do…” the words escape her before she has a chance to register what she’s saying.

“Darcie, I want you.” he says against her lips, “I mean it. This was never a game to me. Everything I said or did, I meant it. This is real for me…and I think it might be real for you, too.”

He’s right.

Wasn’t he?

No, he wasn’t. He couldn’t be. He mustn’t be. 

She freezes in his arms. Both of them are afraid to open their eyes. 

She wished she could stay frozen. Not just tonight, but in general. Not needing to move forward or backward with him. Not needing to talk any about the truth of things. Just carry on with their game. No new developments or any future. Just the deal they made.

But then, she realised, she doesn’t wish that at all. 

She wants more.

“I have to go.” she says abruptly, pulling away from him and running back into the villa. 

As she runs away and leaves a confused Lucas alone in the pool, the last words of the song they hear echo like a ghost.

_Baby, you gotta let me, gotta let me out_

_I gotta get free, gotta get free, oh baby_

_I’m too invested, I can’t get obsessed with you..._


	9. Mini Cheddars and Pina Coladas

Darcie DeVille was having a bad day.

A really bad day.

First of all, her emotions were going haywire everywhere. This whole situation with Lucas has got her a bit confused. Very confused? Whatever.

Second, seems like her period started today so add that to even more reason why she can’t be bothered with anything.

Third, she was suffering from a massive hangover from last night’s Ministry of Sound party.

Fourth, it was unbearably hot today. She hears Chelsea, the new arrival, mention that the next few days were meant to be the hottest days of the year, apparently. Fantastic. Frankly, if there wasn’t cameras around, she’d be tempted to walk around naked.

Fifth, once again, she’s been dragged into the local Island drama.

Operation Nope was a dumb move from the beginning and Darcie made her feelings about it clear from the get-go. Yet for some unfathomable reason, everyone wants her two cents on the subject.

She knew last night’s Hope vs Priya fight would have its sequel. But God, she was hoping it wasn’t today. 

Today, she didn’t even bother dressing up. She wore her cute red bikini top and shorts, sunglasses in her messy ponytail and ready to go to the kitchen, grab some snacks and a cold drink then go into the pool.

But as per usual, everyone felt like testing her today.

“Darcie! I think we need you to be involved in this conversation.” Hope calls out. Darcie sees her, Noah and Priya and immediately, she feels like running in the opposite direction.

“Oh, good God, why?” Darcie nearly whined.

“Well, you’ve been giving Priya advice, haven’t you?” Hope asks.

Darcie blinked. “Where on earth did you get that from? I literally told her I didn’t care about what she did about you and Noah.” 

“Well, good, then you’ll be impartial, then.” Hope nods.

“How is she impartial? She’s obviously on your side!” Priya argues.

“Why? Just because she didn’t help you steal Noah?” 

“Darcie didn’t help Priya do anything, Hope!” Noah protested.

….And in a matter of seconds, the three of them bickered, with Darcie, eyebags still under her eyes, a headache looming, and the heat of the sun burning her, caught right int he middle.

It occurred to Darcie that she just might have to endure this all summer: the continuous saga of Nope feat. Priya without any resolution. She tried being nice. She tried staying out of it. But you know what? This has gone on long enough.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of how Darcie DeVille finally lost her shit.

“ALRIGHT, THAT IS IT. I’VE HAD IT, OFFICIALLY.” Darcie kicked off, effectively silencing all three. In a second, all the fighting had stopped and she saw the fear of God in each of their eyes. Good. They should be afraid.

She swiftly took off her sunglasses and looked at them all in the eye.

“You wanna know the truth? I really, really, really, couldn’t give less of a shit about your drama. But since y’all insist on dragging me into it, here’s my hot take: you’re all being trash people. Point. Blank. Period.”

Before any of them could interject, Darcie kept going, turning to Priya. “YOU! Whether you like it or not, you started this whole thing. Operation Nope was a dumbass move from the get-go. You started it pretending to be all concerned for Hope, being like ‘oh if Noah isn’t good for her it’s my solemn duty as a friend to find out’, blah, blah, blah…girl, just be real and admit you wanted to ride Noah! If you actually cared for Hope as a friend, you would have spoken to her privately, not try to steal her man! What kind of fecked up logic is that?! You started Operation Nope because you wanted to graft on Noah but you were too much of a fanny to admit it! At least be straight-up about it instead of acting all innocent!”

“Tell her, Darcie!” Hope smiled.

But that smile disappeared once Darcie’s icy glare turned to her, “Oh, no, don’t think you’re blameless! Like Jesus fecken’ Christ, have you ever actually been in a relationship before? Obviously not, because you’d know communication is key. And it’s all well and good to tell me how you feel, but did I miss the part where Noah joined the fecken’ X-Men and could suddenly read minds? Because that’s how it seems from the way you’re acting! Expecting him to apologise and know how to act when you kick off for no reason! Oh, let’s not forget how possessive you are! I understand it’s rough when you’re a jealous person and the guy you like likes someone else, believe me, I know what it’s like to be a jealous bitch, but guess what? He shouldn’t have to suffer for your insecurities! I know this is Love Island, there’s 50k at stake and it’s rough when the guy you like seems to like someone else, but Christ, woman, if you’re willing to fight for the relationship and he’s not, then take. The fucking. Hint! Also, it’s been less than two weeks and you’re acting like you two have been married for two decades. Chill the fuck out!” 

“That’s all I want, really.” Noah

“And now on to the Grand High Bitch himself.” she turned to Noah with a sneer, flourishing her arms and making an exaggerated bow. “Now, Priya and Hope may be a gigantic pain in the ass, but you’re the XL-sized dildo of a reason that they’re being pains! You probably think you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re acting all, ‘boo hoo, woe is me, I’m poor Noah the Librarian, I’m being pushed around unfairly by two women who are pressuring me, I’m sensitive, fucking uwu!’”

In the distance, she hears Chelsea asks, “What does ‘uwu’ mean?”

“I don’t know, but I have to say, she’s doing a bang-up job imitating Noah’s accent.” Lottie said, strangely impressed.

“Newflash, mate, you’re 25-fucking-years-old! Act like it! Man up and tell Hope straight up, ‘you’re being a possessive slag, chill the fuck out because it’s making me not want to be with you!’ Or, if not tell her, ‘I can see why you’re insecure, I understand, but you can’t keep going off on me like this, talk to me and we’ll sort it out like adults!’ Either way, do something. It’s all so convenient for you to sit back and watch as two girls fight for you, so you don’t have to do anything and you come off scot-free! Well, here’s your fucking wake-up call, Noah: Priya may have been snakey and Hope may have been pushy, but you’ve been acting worse than any of them, which is being a fucking coward.” 

“Look, the fact that Priya wouldn’t give up isn’t my fault. Obviousily if you push someone enough, they’re gonna have doubts! I didn’t cause this. And I refuse to make a decision I’m ot ready to make just because you girls insist upon it.” Noah firmly said, refusing to admit any fault of his own.

“OOH, AYE, BIG SURPRISE! Noah’s not taking any responsibility? Because none of this is your fault, isn’t it? You’re a precious wee lamb and the whole Priya thing was a mistake…you had a whole-ass conversation saying you were wondering if you’d be happier with her, but obviously you can ‘accidentally’ have an entire conversation!” Sarcasm on full blast now. She wasn’t holding back, nor was she planning to. “Well, okay, Noah, since apparently this is YOUR Island, not Love Island, we’ll reschedule the whole damn coupling according to YOUR needs! So, tell me, my sweet sensitive wee apple blossom, how long do you need to make a decision? A few days? Weeks? Months? Hell, just say the word and we’ll tell the producers, nope! Let’s switch the bikinis for sweaters and ski pants, we’re extending this season and renaming it Love Chalet instead, because Sir Noah of Romford couldn’t make up his fucking mind!”

“Alright, easy, Darce…” Priya mutters. She wants to say more, but the way Darcie snapped her cold glare towards her made her shudder.

“Oh, no. You’ve all had your chance for it to be easy. I tried being supportive. I tried not giving a shite. But evidently, since you all just need Mama Darcie to take care of you poor children, I’m giving you tough love right now!” 

“It’s not like it’s an easy choice!” Noah exclaims.

“The fact that you need to make a choice at all says everything…” Hope says, tears running down her eyes.

“Oh, so now you crying is suppose to change my mind?”

In the background Lucas cringed. 

…and release the Kraken.

“Oh, no, you didn’t.” Darcie says. Calmly, coldly at first, yet somehow this was more terrifying than her entire rant. “Noah, you can disagree with Hope. You can be mad at her. You can think she’s being unreasonable. You can think she’s being annoying as fuck because on that we can agree. But if you can’t understand that Hope is crying because she’s sad that the boy she likes is doubting his feelings for her and, not only that, you actually accuse her of trying to manipulate you, then honey, I suggest you check yourself real quick because you’re starting to sound like a first class toxic fuckboy.” 

Noah is about to retort a reply, but Darcie decides she’s just about had it with this tomfoolery.

“IN FUCKING CONCLUSION.” she roars at Noah, causing the boy to shut his mouth.

She points to Priya, “You wanted to fuck Noah. You acted like a snake. Shit blew up because of it. Your actions have consequences. Fucking wow! Who would have guessed?! I mean, right, who could expect you, a 29-year-old woman, to know that! Insane, right? You’re not the ‘odd one out in high school’ anymore, so stop acting like you’re being targeted for no reason.”

Then to Hope. “You need to chill the fuck out and start communicating. Stop whingeing about what’s wrong in your relationship then not doing anything to fix it. Stop barking at him like he’s some kind of dog. Christ, you should star in the Exorcist with the way you’re being so fecken’ possessive! A relationship means you’re on equal grounds, not that he has to do everything you say."

Finally, to Noah. “AND YOU. Choose Hope. Choose Priya. Choose Jakub. I don’t care at this point! But make a fecken' choice already! But I warn you…you think Hope is scary? Boy, just try me. You’re gonna see how much of a wee Disney princess Hope is compared to me: if I ever catch you saying any of that manipulative gaslighting bullshit, I will go Tony Montana up in this bitch, do you understand me?!” she screams in Noah’s face, then she turns to everyone else so the whole damn villa can hear.

“And for the rest of you: what the hell happened to ‘oh let’s stop making Darcie the Villa therapist?’ Stop dragging me into your problems because some of us just wanna kick back, get a tan, eat some fecken' mini-cheddars and drink some goddamn pina coladas!” 

With that, a fuming Darcie walked away towards the pool, finally ready to just swim and chill.

Bobby, Rahim and Gary cowered behind the kitchen island and after Darcie walked passed all of them, they all slowly began to rise up. Everyone around seemed to finally release the breaths they’d been holding this entire time.

“Well. Remind me never to piss off Darcie. Ever.” Bobby shudders.

“Definitely. I’m pretty sure Jakub just pissed his pants a bit…” Gary says as they all watch Jakub cowering into the bathrooms.

Lucas chuckles. ‘Well, at least I don’t have to worry about Jakub grafting on Darcie now...'

As soon as Darcie walked away, leaving Noah, Hope and Priya looking like guilty children, the show was over. Lucas decided to look around the kitchen, “Hey, do we have any pineapples and coconut milk?” 

—---

Ten minutes later, Lucas shows up to the pool with a whole-ass pitcher of frozen pina coladas and a large bowl full of mini cheddars. 

“I’m just gonna put this on the ground and slowly back away.” he teases as he gently put them on the poolside and began to walk backwards.

She scoffs, but a smile appears on her face anyway. 

“Shut up and come here.” she orders as she grabs his arm and makes him sit on the edge of the pool, his legs dipping into the cool water. “Thank you. Really, I needed this.”

“I can tell.” Lucas laughed. “Actually, I think the entire UK, and certain parts of the world can tell. You might even become internet famous for that whole rant.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” she groaned, putting her hand on her forehead. 

“Hey, don’t worry. I think everyone can see you were being dragged into everything too much. Roccogate, fixing Lottie and Priya, fixing Lottie and Chelsea, this whole Operation Nope nonsense...You earned a long break.” 

She splashes around in the pool, realising this was Lucas’ way of saying he’s not going to ask about last night. 

“Thank you, Lucas.” she smiles at him and she hopes he can understand the double-meaning in her words.

She lets herself float in the pool for a while as she took a sip of her pina colada, letting the sun hit her face gently. Every once in a while, she can feel Lucas’ pitter patter splashing in the water. Sometimes he splashes little droplets on her face and she giggles. Now this was a holiday. 

“You know, your accent is usually an odd amalgamation of American and Irish, usually the American takes over. When you’re pissed off, though, your Irish accent just gets a whole lot thicker. It’s even funnier when you use American slang in an Irish accent.” Lucas chuckles.

“Well, that must be why the villa keeps pissing me off, then. They just adore my accent.” she laughs.

“I mean, I just like the sound of your voice.” Lucas admits, which just makes her laugh.

“Do me a favor.” she asks as she swims out of the pool, lies down next to him and rests her head on his lap. “Today’s been stressful and I’m tired. All I wanna do is take a nap until the next text is sent. Please make sure no one bothers me?”

His fingers found a strand of hair and twirled it, “A hurricane itself could come and I’d still make sure it leaves you alone.” 

She chuckles, as she slowly began to drift to sleep. “You’re sweet…” 

Truth be told, he was slightly uncomfortable because of the way they were positioned, but he didn’t have the heart to move. Look how peaceful she was. 

So instead, he just powered through. Besides, cold pina colada next to him. Darcie in his arms. Nice sunset going on in the background...There were worse ways to be uncomfortable.

They needed to talk about last night, he knew this. But these things could wait. After all, they had the rest of the summer to have this talk. 

Or so he thought, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fun fact. I wrote this when I was extremely frustrated with the Nope nonsense lmao. But it was funny to me how on the subreddit, everyone was all well and good to drag Hope but no one wants to drag Priya or Noah. Like, they have had as much fault in this as Hope. Actually no scratch that Noah has more and I make my feelings about this very clear x'D


	10. ...And Boom Goes The Dynamite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casa Amor. And a familiar face...

Unsurprisingly, Darcie didn’t exactly sleep like a baby that night. She knew she was off the hook for that day, but she could feel the clock ticking and she was sure that Lucas was going to ask questions. 

And she would soon need to come up with answers. 

She woke up facing Lucas and she couldn’t help but think of just how handsome he was…Well, that wasn’t news. But something seemed different lately. She watched the length of his eyelashes. She noticed he had a freckle on his neck. A tiny scar is hidden on the corner of his forehead and she wonders how it got there. His cheekbones looked fuller in the mornings. His hair spiked in hilarious ways in the morning, like a cartoon character. He always slept curled on his side, but always seemed to sleep facing her. Every once in a while, he reaches out and puts his arm around her, then squeezes her and a smile always spreads on his face even despite his closed eyes, like he feels a peace knowing she’s there.

Her hands reach out to find his neck and she traced his jawline under her fingertips. She wanted to kiss him, then hug him even closer, then go back to sleep.

So she did. She gave him the softest whisper of a kiss on his lips and could have sworn she felt him smile and sigh happily. She then put her head under his neck, wrapped her arms around him and put her leg over his waist. Despite spending all night avoiding him, looking at him and avoiding his very touch, all of a sudden, she succumbs to what she’s been wanting to do and she finally feels like she can rest.

It’s this sudden thought that makes Darcie realise, she’s falling in love with Lucas.

Any sense of peace and rest went away just as quickly as it came and fear and panic replaced it.

_No. Not this. I don’t want it. This isn’t real. This was never meant to feel so real._

Oh, but it was. Every touch, every kiss, every word…she didn’t realise it at the time, but there was a reason that with each act, she began feeling closer and closer to him despite telling herself that she didn’t care what he did after they win the 50k: whether or not she ever saw him again or hell, whether he fell in love with another girl.

Then the thought of him in another girl’s arms made her blood boil. She thought back to when Hope, Priya and Marisol expressed interest in him during that first day and instantly, she was filled with jealousy. Unconsciously, she began tightening her grip on him. Funny how just a few days ago, she was even willing to set Lucas up with Priya after the show ended. God, she was warned things would move fast here. But she didn’t expect it to move this fast. Huh. Maybe Lottie had a point. This place really was magical in its own little way. She just assumed all the gorgeous half-naked people in the sun all day just made everyone all loopy. But this was something else.

Darcie wasn’t an idiot. She knew Lucas liked her. She also knows he’s been dropping little hints. She’s never exactly ignored it, but she just didn’t want to acknowledge it at the time. She wanted to keep her eye on the prize. Anytime she felt something more, she made excuses. Perhaps she began to care for him only as a friend. A friend, she could do. Something more? Now, that was dangerous territory.

Okay. So, she’s falling for him. What now? In a simple world, she’d like him, he’d like her, they would go out. But this wasn’t a simple world. This was a world where they started out as an act. Not to mention, it’s way too soon to fall for someone again...

Well, the good news was, as soon as Lucas woke up, she’d have time to discuss it. Figure things out. Know what this all meant. At least this time, they can talk about things honestly. 

But life, or more precisely, the producers, had a way of throwing a curveball at the worst time.

She heard her phone buzz, but then she heard several phones across the room buzz as well. One by one, the girls woke up and looked at their phones.

**Darcie, today you and the girls are going on a mini-break. You must all get ready and meet at the entrance without waking the boys. #catsaway #micegonnaplay**

Darcie rolled her eyes. Of course _now_ would be the time to do something like this!

On the bright side, her instincts were right: this was the shake-up that she and Lucas predicted the other day. They’d probably bring in new people. 

She froze. She remembered their deal and all but…the idea of some girl grafting on Lucas…also, they both agreed they’d bring new people in if they could, just to shake things up but both agreed they'd get back together eventually, but a little drama was great for the cameras. But these new people would have no idea they’re being played. Whoever Lucas brings, she’s going to think he really likes her. Would he kiss her? He’d have to sleep on the same bed as her, surely…Would he hold her the way he did Darcie?

She shook her head. Time was running out. She still had a few minutes left, so, she had time to say goodbye to Lucas really quickly…

“Psst, Lucas.” she woke him up. 

“Mmm…come back to bed.” he said, not even opening his eyes and pulling her waist back closer to him.

A giggle escapes her, “I can’t. Look, don’t tell anyone I told you, but the girls and I received a text and looks like we’re going away for a while.”

“What?!” Lucas’ eyes were wide awake immediately. “ No! You can’t be gone for too long. I’ll miss you. And we have so much to talk about still.”

His hand lingered on her arm. She sighed, putting her hand on his, “I know. It’s the worst timing ever. I really want to talk to you too, but...Listen, remember the other day, in the hideaway?”

He gives her a knowing look. “Well, don’t forget it, but there’s more that I want to say to you. Just not now. When I come back, we need to discuss things. For real this time.”

It’s incredible how they were always able to pick up each other’s little subtexts. He nods, giving her a smile, “I can’t wait. Don’t leave for too long, okay?”

“I’ll try not to…” she grins. Before she can say anything else, he leaned over to kiss her, just a soft one for goodbye. His hand lingers on her cheek and his other holds her close.

“Being with you is just really perfect. I feel like I wanna bundle you up and keep you forever. But like, in a way that’s not weird, of course.” he said that last part quickly.

Darcie laughed at how nervous he got. Did she always have that effect on him? “Lock me up, then, babe.”

“Hey, quiet down over there!” one of the boys stirred. 

They both giggled like schoolchildren. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” she said, giving him another quick kiss before dashing off. 

For the first time, she realised she felt butterflies in her stomach. 

If only she wasn’t in this stupid Casa Amor thing. She bitterly grabbed her brush and bikini and muttered.

_I already wanna go home._

* * *

“Girls on tour, girls on tour, girls on tour!” Chelsea cheered and her cheering was just plain infectious. 

Despite the circumstances, Darcie decided to make the most of this. Consider this a holiday with her girls, not caring much about the new guys. 

“Girls!” Hope called out.

“Girls, girls, girls!” Chelsea squealed.

“Not what I meant, babes.” Hope said, “I just wanted to say, it’s been an intense couple of days and I think we’ve all felt the strain.”

“Speak for yourself, it’s been lush.” Darcie snorts and the rest of the girls, sans Hope and Priya, agrees.

Hope looks like she’s about to disagree, but Darcie shoots her a look and she closes her mouth. Darcie couldn’t help but smirk, knowing that everyone’s learned not to piss her off so much anymore.

She had to admit, she was a little curious to see who they brought. But Darcie wasn’t the sort to fall for just anyone. She’s only been in love once before and that took ages to happen. Still, it didn’t stop her from being glad her girlfriends were going to have fun.

Part of her was fearing the worst, though: if new boys were coming here, that meant new girls were going back to the villa. The idea of another girl sleeping on her bed filled her with dread. So much so she began to sip more of her bubbly. Well, her second glass to be exact.

One by one, the boys came. None really that caught her eye. All attractive in their own way (except for Graham…did the man really tattoo ‘boat’ on his knuckles?).

“Alright, ladies? I’m…” 

She stared at her fingernails, deep in thought. She couldn’t concentrate on these new guys because all she could think about is all the things she wanted to say to Lucas. She was a planner, you see. She liked thinking of scenarios…

“ Heyoo! Let’s get cracking! I’m…”

Scenario A: he doesn’t like her back. They agree to continue with the deal. They part ways in the end. The likelihood of this scenario is slim considering he’s been giving all the signs that he liked her. 

Scenario B: he doesn’t like her back. He uses her. He keeps the money. He leaves her in the dust. She doubts this will happen. It’s not in his nature. He wouldn’t do such a thing. Then again, she’s thought that about somebody else before...

“Hi. What’s up? My name’s..."

Scenario C: he likes her back. But she chickens out of doing anything with him because she’s still a bit traumatised from her last break-up. But Lucas wouldn’t treat her the way her ex did. Or would he? She didn’t know. After all, realistically, she’s only just gotten to know him. Why had she fallen so quickly? This was unlike her. This wasn’t normal.

“Oi, oi, oi, ladies, what’s happening?”

Scenario D: he likes her back. She likes him. They win together. They start dating. Maybe they come out a Love Island success story. Live happily ever after. Who knows? 

“Morning, girls!"

No, no, no, that was too perfect, too unlikely, too lucky. Darcie’s never been lucky her whole life. Why would that change now?

She gulps. Without knowing, she began to bite her fingernails. Why did she care so much if Lucas didn’t like her back? Why did he suddenly matter so much to her? Why couldn’t she stop thinking about some girl prancing into the villa and latching onto Lucas?

Because some girls don’t care, right? They’ll smile in your face and pretend to care about you, then next thing you know, they don’t care about cracking on with your man. And he’s not even her man. But she knew how it worked. 

And what if he liked her now but wouldn’t tomorrow? What then? What if he’s worrying about the same thing himself?

“Darcie, you okay?” Chelsea asks, worried. 

She took a deep breath and immediately put on that poker face she excelled so well at. Now’s not the time to fall apart. The show must go on.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Well, look alive, last guy’s coming!” 

Darcie nods, realising she hasn’t been paying attention to the new arrivals. She didn’t need to. She knew her head wouldn’t be turned. She’d just pick one at random to bring back to reinforce hers and Lucas’ plan from earlier. Though it seemed like all the girls have claimed the guys they saw so far. She mentally shrugged. Big deal. She’ll just take this last guy home.

But then she saw the last guy coming in and she dropped her jaw.

No. _Fucking_. Way.

One of the new Islanders smiled at her, that familiar, heart-wrenching boyishly charming smile that used to make her sigh dreamingly, in that familiar voice she’s heard so many times before, everything from ‘I love you, I will always love you’ to ‘I’m in love with somebody else’.

“Hello, Darcie. Long time, no see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAWD I was waiting to write this chapter for so long! And now, the fun begins >:) 
> 
> I wonder if anyone clocked it...there's been mentions of Darcie's sad past experience with an ex, but obviously no details were given. Why? All leading up to this. And yes, this mysterious ex is the one that also once knew Lucas and used to be his friend.
> 
> Ooh, I can't wait to see how this goes! 
> 
> On a side note, you guys seemed to adore Darcie's rant mode on Nope last time and I LIVED for it! Thanks for the feedback guys! Let me know who you think is this mystery islander :3


	11. Casa Amor: Mr. Brightside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day later, we see what's happening on the boy's end...

Lucas decides that Casa Amor couldn’t have come at a worst time. The other night’s Ministry of Sound party, something was different with Darcie. Overwhelmingly so. Her words still replayed in his ear like a siren’s call.

_‘I want you. I really do.'_

That wasn’t an act. That was real. That _kiss_ was real. But then again, looking back at most of their kisses, were any of them really as fake as they pretended to?

Things were so confusing. Part of him always thought there was something more, but he always feared it was just wishful thinking. His little sister once told him he was far too optimistic and romantic for his own good. He always dreamed of being a doctor that saved people, went home to a woman who loved him and both would work to make the world a better place.

So, he remained cautious. Enjoying the ride while it lasted. At worst, he still helped a lovely and deserving woman win a prize she rightfully deserved. At best, perhaps something more could have happened. Although he hoped for the best, he expected the worst.

But with each passing day, there seemed to be more chances for the best to happen. Still, parts of him doubted. Perhaps it was just Darcie getting more and more comfortable. Perhaps she began to like him but not in a romantic way. But with what happened that night, he could feel it in his bones: it was more than a friends thing. She liked him.

And knowing her, she was probably struggling with the thought. Who could blame her? When everyone found out about her breakup, it was _the_ breakup. It was horrible, brutal and humiliating. The response was a mix of pity and a haughty attitude, feeling like it was only a matter of time, as if her ex was too good for her.

_Pff. As if._

Her ex was a selfish coward, pure and simple. He had nothing going for him aside from blind ambition, pipe dreams and old money that was running out. 

But despite all of these things, one thing her ex did have is good taste (at least, he did once). After all, he had Darcie. Jealousy crept up to Lucas once he realised that now, someone else would have Darcie.

_Breathe. It's all part of your plan..._

It didn't matter. He knew Darcie would graft, but so would he. But they stuck to their plan: their heads can't be turned just yet. Lucas figures he'll wait until tonight to pretend he was interested in anyone else. Until then, he can be lovesick and openly miss his girl as much as he wanted. He told himself, it didn't matter who Darcie was with right now because at the end of the day, whatever their personal feelings, they will both stick to their end of the deal and still agree to couple up back together (after the novelty of the torn lovers has worn off, of course...man, this was good TV). 

Not that he was short of girls trying to graft on _him._

He can clearly see the ‘Darcie’ of the group. There was always one. Not just in Love Island, but in real life. There was always one individual who everyone listened to, who influenced them the most, the planner, the schemer, the leader. In Love Island’s season one, it was Paige Pierce. At home, among his mates, it was his best friend. Among the lads, weirdly enough, Bobby was the unlikely leader. Among the women of Casa Amor, it was Blake Beckers who, incidentally, was the one going after Lucas himself. 

The similarities between Blake and Darcie were striking if you observed them on a superficial level: Blake was a grad student with a passion for journalism. She had piercing eyes that looked like they could stare into your soul, point out all your flaws and strengths in the blink of an eye, and looked like she was poison beneath pretty words. She held herself with a certain ‘extra’-ness that was so reminiscent of Darcie, but there was a clear cut difference that may not be too obvious to the untrained eye: Darcie actually cared about the people she influenced. Blake did not.

Blake scarcely gave proper advice or honesty the way only a true friend would. In fact, she had a tendency to encourage the girls to do what would benefit her the best. He notices how Blake intentionally recruits Shannon, who may just be the only one with brains among the bunch, and makes her her best friend. An alliance of some kind forms and it’s obvious that both she and Shannon are gunning for him and Rahim respectively.

Perhaps, if he had never met Darcie, he might have liked Blake. He can't deny she's a pretty girl. What she was not, however, was attractive.

He hear how she laughs and finds it obnoxious. When Darcie laughed, it was contagious. He found her smirk too cold and calculated, whereas Darcie’s smirk was pure seduction and hidden scandalous words that couldn’t be said. Even the way she walks inspired an air of superiority, someone who honestly believed she was above everyone, whereas Darcie’s strut was more that of a woman who knew she was confident and didn’t feel the need to tear others down, but instead inspire them to feel just as confident. 

To him, these differences meant that Darcie and Blake were two completely different people even though they fulfilled the same role in their groups. However, this was not so obvious among his fellow men.

“It’s crazy how alike she is to Darcie, isn’t it?” Rahim remarks.

“But like, less nice.” Bobby says.

“Blake’s nicer.” Noah mutters.

“Yeah, you would say that after she annihilated you.” Jakub says and the rest of the guys begin to snicker as Noah pouted.

“You say that as if it didn’t make you piss your pants.” Gary laughed.

Now it was Jakub’s turn to pout, “It was unrelated, I just had a lot of water…"

“She’s nothing like Darcie.” Lucas concludes, thankful that his sunglasses were hiding his eyes so no one could see him roll them. 

“Funny you should say that, she obviously likes you.” Bobby says, “Although it’s been a day already and you decided to sleep on the daybeds. Good on you! I was going to kick your arse if you mugged off Darcie.” 

“As if I was going to do that.” Lucas sighed, "Besides, like I told you yesterday, I can't just crack on with a girl I don't like just because Darcie isn't here. I'd feel like I'm using her." 

"I know, I know you said it to us like five minutes after the girls arrived." Gary says.

"Well, it's true." Lucas shrugs, then leans back, preparing himself for another long night in the daybeds. It wasn’t nice sleeping outside. It was too cold, the mosquitos bit you like your blood tasted like sugar and honestly, the villa outside at night really gave ‘horror movie and he’s the first to die’ vibes. 

But sleeping next to Darcie, he never noticed those things before. Instead, sleeping in the daybeds felt romantic and beautiful. 

He knew he’d just take Blake home when the girls returned but that didn’t mean he had to sleep on the same bed. He assumed Darcie did the same with the boy she was going to use. She liked her space and even when she was on the show with Rocco, she didn’t seem to like sleeping with him that much. Now that she thought about it, when he watched the show, he noticed how she always seemed to face away from Rocco, whereas with him, she always cuddled close to him, even during that first night.

A smile crept on his face as he realised it. Little did he know his bubble was about to burst in three, two, one...

“I got a text!” he announced as he felt his phone buzz.

**Islanders, if you’re still hesitating about sticking or switching, why not see a little preview of what’s happened last night? #girlsontour #imloyalbabes**

All the boys were freaked out as they began to assemble around Lucas. Quickly, snippets of videos at this ‘Casa Amor’ began to show. 

First there were things that weren’t so surprising. Single newcomer Chelsea, for instance, seemed to be keen on this one guy who looked a lot like Usher. Priya was grafting hard on this odd blue-haired character, but it was _Priya_ , and everyone figured she would probably switch, which Rahim didn’t mind so much since his own head was being turned. Of course, Marisol was in a friendship couple with Bobby so he didn’t mind that she cracked on this big ginger pirate-dude with the tackiest tattoo on his knuckles. 

The more surprising ones came in the form of Hope and Lottie. Hope seemed to toe the line between harmless flirting and out-right head being turned. Lottie, who seemed so into Gary, was shamelessly flirting with a particular guy, which made Gary worry a bit but deep down he knew that though Lottie may flirt she would never bring this person back.

But the one that truly made everyone’s jaw drop came in the form of Darcie.

Lucas' heart dropped and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. But he didn’t care. All he could do was concentrate on the video he was seeing on the phone.

She was on a bed. Kissing someone. Not just anyone, though.

_She was kissing the little fucker who broke her heart in the first place._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, but fear not. Yes, this takes place the day after the girls left. But what exactly happened yesterday that made things escalate so quickly? Well, you're about to find out in the next chapter, which shows just what happened last night in Casa Amor...


	12. Casa Amor: Promises, Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little trip down memory lane...

_At five years old, Darcie DeVille met the love of her life._

_He was nine years old. He was Irish, but lived in Oxford. He had a summer house nearby and visited every year from June to August. He liked to bike near her park because it was bigger. She would follow him around in the playground and they would play hide and seek together. He would bring legos and create so much out of nothing. He brings her books she can’t buy herself and they read in the park together._

_Darcie’s the kind of little girl that spoke a thousand words per minute. On the other hand, he had a problem with stuttering. He was slow to respond, not because he was dumb, on the contrary, but because he always struggled to find the right words and froze with fear._

_When the bullies came to make fun of him for his speech, it was not the nine-year-old boy who threw mud at them, but the little girl wearing the pink tutu she got from the dollar store._

_“And stay away! We don’t want you around here!” the little girl in two pigtailed braids shouted as the bullies ran away._

_She turned to the shy, quieter boy behind her, who was crying on the ground. Her heart ached. He had been such a nice boy, not like the other ones she knew who were stupid and loud and mean. He was nice and smart and always saying science stuff she didn’t understand._

_“Don’t cry. You’re gonna make a supercomputer one day. Then they’ll be jealous of you.” she promised him._

_He bit his lip and whimpered, trying very hard not to cry. “N-No they w-w-won’t. I c-c-can’t talk properly.”_

_“You say smarter words all the time than those boys ever will.” Darcie clenches her fists, furious that he would insult himself like this! He was great! Why didn’t he see it? “And you don’t stutter that much around me, you know…maybe you just need to get out of your shell! It’ll happen one day. Don’t worry!”_

_He didn’t understand. This girl was always so nice to him. Why? He was nothing special. She was. She was so fun and lively and cute. He was…him. Nothing. Invisible. A nerd. A loser._

_“How are you so s-sure?” he asks._

_“Because you’re my best friend and I know you’re going to make great things someday.” she says, but with a sad smile, she continues. “I know you don’t want to be friends with me because I’m not as fancy as your friends but-“_

_“I like you better.” he admits without hesitation. “And I d-don’t care if you’re poor o-o-or rich. I’ll always b-be there for you.”_

_She links their pinkies together and the boy smiles._

_“So will I.” she promises and gives him a huge smile with all the sunshine that only a five-year-old can have._

_That was the moment he knew he loved her._

_———_

_She’s eighteen and he’s twenty-two now. Thirteen long years have passed since they knew and so much has changed._

_She was beloved by many, friends with everyone and invited to everything. He was still quiet, still too afraid to speak, but still so brilliant._

_Every year, she seems to blossom. He, on the other hand, recently failed his final year at school and had to re-take the year. It’s been a rough time and he can’t breathe under the pressure of it all. He has no friends. His parents are driving him crazy, comparing him to his more successful siblings. He’s trying to make the technological breakthrough of the century, but he just can’t do it._

_The summer she turns eighteen and he visits Ireland again, he sees how she still looked at him with stars in her eyes. Why? What was it about him that she liked so much so that even after all this time, after all the people she’s known, after all the boys who wanted her, she chose him?_

_“I know things are difficult now.” she begins. “But you’re meant for great things. Believe me, I know it.”_

_“Yeah, right.” he says bitterly, remembering how the other day he hears his mom amazed at the news of twenty-year-old Lucas Koh, who finishes university with a soaring first, but absolutely refused to use his parents’ connections and was currently interning at a hospital, or Lucas’ fourteen-year-old sister who is spending the summer interning in CERN, named the youngest female intern they ever had. “It’s just…I’m an empath, you know? What other people feel always mattered more to me than what I feel. And what I feel is disappointment from my mom that I’m not like others.”_

_“I get it. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others, especially in your world.” Darcie nods, always understanding, “But listen…who cares about everyone else? Isn’t it better to be someone who’s not just talented at something but through hard work and determination, becomes amazing at it? Okay, fine, big deal, you weren’t born with a silver tongue or with ideas just popping into your head out of nowhere. You’ve got something better: willpower to learn and be better. And that’ll always be more impressive than someone who’s just born into it. And guess what? One day, you’ll work so hard you’ll think of the next big thing and guess who’ll be by your side saying, ‘I told you so’? That’s right, your girl!”_

_He smiles at her. She always knew just what to say. He put his arms around her shoulders, “Definitely my girl…Oh, what would all the lads of Ireland say when they hear that the wee DeVille girl shacked up with a foreigner?”_

_“You’re technically from Dublin.” she laughs. “And you still have the accent even if you spend all your time up in Oxford. Besides, they wouldn’t be so shocked. After all…I’ve never really dated anyone.”_

_He sputters, shocked, “What? Why?”_

_They stop moving and she stares at him. He feels like this is a moment they’ve both been waiting for their whole lives. They knew it was coming. But only now did it finally happen. It built up ever since they were kids: all those summers spent walking on the beach, swimming, eating ice creams, going on paddle boats, roasting marshmallows..._

_“I promised I’d always be there for you, didn’t I?” she smiles, goes on the tip of toes and kisses him under the moonlight._

_That was the moment he fell in love with her._

_———_

_She’s twenty and he’s twenty-four. Her support meant the world to him: she agrees to move with him to Oxford, where she attended Oxford University. Within six months, he develops his own software and finally he makes a name for himself outside of his father’s accomplishments. Within the same time, Darcie becomes the president of several university societies, sets up podcasts, writes for online newspapers, all while doing her course._

_He brings her to the Snow Gala for the first time and he’s unnerved by how easily she dominates the conversation. She came from a poor background. She never wore a dress and heels this expensive her entire life. The champagne cost more than her rent at home. Yet she spoke with the eloquence of someone playing the political game since she was a child. People laughed with her like she was long-lost family. She tells stories that has everyone clinging to her every word like she was some goddamn prophet._

_They’re all enamoured with her. Especially Lucas Koh, who stares at her like she’s the sun._

_He puts his grip around Darcie tighter. Lucas may have been the one all the girls flocked to, the so-called medical marvel, the Koh prodigy, but he didn’t have Darcie._

_“That Lucas guy, he’s a bit odd. He always seemed to have a dry mouth when he came up to talk to me, but he seems nice.” Darcie points out when they finally get back to his flat._

_He’s been in a bad mood all night. He felt so invisible next to her. He realised he’s always been invisible but he always assumed when he would finally have some success, things would feel great. But no. People still didn’t take him seriously. They were all blinded by the sun that was Darcie. Next to her, he felt like he was back to being the awkward little boy who hid behind the skirt of a five-year-old girl when bullies came to attack him._

_He’s not sure who he’s mad at. Darcie or hearing the name of someone everyone and their mothers worshipped._

_Fury rushes through his cheeks. “Don’t be fooled. That’s Lucas Koh. Acting all high and mighty, all he cares about is his daddy’s money and girls he can screw.”_

_Darcie’s eyes widened. “Really? I…wouldn’t have guessed. Especially since I spoke with his sister, Lexie, and she’s a laugh! So different from the pompous pretentious people. She told me her brother Lucas is the sweetest guy ever, even told me he’s only really gone out with seven girls. Can you believe it?”_

_Why, because he’s so goddamned handsome?_

_He took a deep breath. He knew exactly what to tell Darcie so that she automatically puts Lucas in her shit list. "He had always been a dick to me, ever since we were kids. For no reason, really. He said I was a pussy for being so sensitive about what other people were feeling. Used to make fun of the fact that I used to have a stutter.”_

_“What?!” she seethed. She’d always been protective. “What an arsehole!”_

_“I know. Even up to now, he makes jokes about it and mimics me.” Lies. All lies. Lucas had always been perfectly nice to him. He even told his friends to shut up when they made fun of him. But he also hated how goddamned perfect Lucas was. He didn’t need Darcie riding him, too._

_“Gross! Who makes fun of someone for their speech impediment?! And you haven’t stuttered in ages, too!” she exclaimed, “Well, whatever. Lucas doesn’t have anything on my man, anyway.”_

_She playfully puts her arms around him while he sat on the couch. Once, his hands would come up to meet hers and be happy and the contact. Oddly enough, now he felt suffocated._

_“Thanks for coming.” he says, feeling obligated to. He doesn’t look her in the eye. He doesn’t want to admit he’s not happy she thrived so much more than he ever did. She fit in perfectly._

_“Well, I know these events aren’t easy for you. I wanted to support you. I want to help you be more at ease with crowds and all. I can show you how, if you want.” she gives him a kind, patient smile that once made his heart soar, now made him annoyed and resentful, “I always said I’d be there for you, after all.”_

_That was the moment he begins to wonder if he was still in love with her._

_———_

_She’s twenty-three and he’s twenty-seven. Her studies are killing her. Her brother’s in the hospital after nearly overdosing. Her mother is slowly losing her sanity. She gets migraines so severe there are days where she can’t move. He’d always relied on her. But now she was the one who needed help._

_But he didn’t want to help. He starts a new job at the most popular search engine’s organisation and he is flourshing. For the first time, he is finding friends because of him, not because they secretly liked Darcie better and just tolerated him. They listen to him. He’s the smart one. He’s the interesting one. He was the Man, the kind all girls wanted and all guys wanted to be. Finally, it’s his time to shine._

_Then he meets Jenna at work. She’s fiery, extra and as seductive as Darcie. No, more so. She was new and unfamiliar. Everyone he knew lusted over her. She was the ninteen-year-old intern. But out of all the guys who would kill to be with her, during one Christmas party, she smiles at him and he follows her to an empty office. He wanted to know what she looked like if he unzipped her black gown that night…_

_It was the same night he has seven missed calls from Darcie. Her brother is in rehab now. She has to retake one of her exams. Her migraines are getting worse. He feels bad for her, but not enough to call her back. Instead, he decides to forget about her. He wakes Jenna up with a kiss and marvels at how beautiful she looked to him even after weeks of sneaking around._

_He hated Darcie’s body. Her stomach was not flat. Her thighs were too big. Her shoulders too square. Her face too round. Her breasts too large. Her arms too muscled. Her hands too calloused. Nose too big. Eyebrows too thick. Lips too small. He hated the scars on her thighs from what she got stitches. He didn’t like the hourglass-shaped birthmark on her back._

_He hated how she talked so loudly. He hated how she walked with her shoulders back, eyes front, chin up. He hated how she didn’t seem to care who liked her or not. He hated how everyone always paid attention to her everytime he brought her._

_But he likes knowing she’s always there. So he doesn’t tell her about Jenna._

_But one night, when she just wanted to look up a recipe to cook for him, she accidentally takes his phone instead of hers and sees a message from Jenna, asking when was he going to tell Darcie about them._

_“You liar, you fucking liar!” she screams at him, grabbing the snow globe she once gave him as a present and smashing it against the wall. “After my father did to my mother…you knew I was so scared of trusting you the way I did! How could you?!”_

_“I just-I just don’t find you attractive anymore.” he admits to her, his words cutting like sinew. “I’m sorry, but I think I’m in love with someone else…”_

_“What?” she croaks, barely able to say the words. “It’s someone at your new job, isn’t it? But..you’ve only been there for a month. Are you seriously telling me you’re throwing away all those years we’ve had together over someone you’ve only known for a month?”_

_He doesn’t answer. He can’t answer because he knows damn well that if he does, he’ll babble and stutter and the coward that was his childhood self will return._

_“That’s it, then? After all we’ve been through. After all that’s happened. After all those promises we’ve made. I knew being a couple for this long, we’d have our issues, but…you’re not even willing to fight for us?” she says, her heart breaking in two and he can hear it in her voice._

_Guilt sweeps over his heart. Not enough to stop. “I’m sorry, but you crying isn’t going to change my mind.”_

_He’s surprised when the words leave his mouth. It’s cruel even for him. But they’re out there and for the first time, he sees Darcie look so weak, she look like she could break with the flick of his wrist._

_“You said you’d always be there for me!” she cries to him, her painful sobs echoing the apartment they once spent drunken 2AMs cooking french toast in. The apartment they’ve binged so many shows in. The apartment she’s comforted him in so many times when he got upset. Just like that, all those memories faded away, and the person who was once the most important person in his life was now just a ghost._

_He leaves the apartment, the one that he paid half the rent for and leaves her to drown in bills. She can’t afford it. She sells her things. She takes more shifts at her part-time job. Her education suffers. Despite just starting one semester of her master’s, she has to stop and drop out. She can no longer afford it or to live in Oxford any longer. She disappears._

_He has no idea her brother assaults her when she visits him in rehab and that’s the end of all contact. No one hears her cry when her mother defends her brother, calling her selfish. She’s sleeping on a friend’s couch when she finally gets an internship somewhere. She’s got no one to turn to when her father constantly calls her asking for money._

_No one hears from her for a long time. They’re all curious. The Snow Gala that year was just after New Years’. Lucas is the first to ask where she is._

_“Turns out, she’s crazy.” he shrugs and tells the group of boys._

_Most of them are inclined to believe him. That is, except for Lucas._

_“Since when? She’s always been a reasonable girl. There must be some other explanation.” Lucas says._

_“There isn’t.” he lies. “She just used me, Lucas. That’s what girls like her do. Use guys like us and act crazy jealous when we start to have a life outside of her.”_

_Around him, everyone agrees. It’s easy being the guy. You always say she’s crazy and everyone believes you. But Lucas only glowers at him, “I don’t believe you. Something about this doesn’t seem right.”_

_He rolls his eyes. Whatever. It doesn’t matter if one person doesn’t believe him, especially not Lucas. He’s lost credibility ever since he denied his father’s job offer in order to go into medicine. The Kohs are a joke at this point: no one truly respects Lucas anymore and everyone knows his younger sister has slept with half of the UK. Who could take them seriously?_

_Everyone else buys it easily, even though they are shocked. They all thought Darcie DeVille was a breath of fresh air, full of potential and charisma. Then he reveals the truth: she was the daughter of a grocery manager in Ireland. He lies and says the only reason she got into Oxford was through his connections. He says that she was a manipulative social climber and would probably look for another person._

_Suddenly, her spell is broken and just like that, everyone turned on her and praised him for being the heroic survivor against the devious temptress._

_He was smart, too. He knew how people worked. How his people worked. He knew tales of a crazy social climber who used people were rich folks’ equivalents of the boogieman. You don’t get to be the quiet kid without slowly learning how people worked eventually._

_Some time later, he quits his job, invites Jenna to move with him to Ireland to start his own company. There, he continues to thrive. Life is oddly easy without Darcie. He discovers he’s a lot smarter, charming, and stronger than he thinks. He gains muscles. He makes speeches now. He’s the boss. He’s got a beautiful girl by his side. He wonders why he didn’t do this sooner. He’s finally the man he’s always wanted to be: dashing, bright, an entrepreneur with a heart of gold._

_That was the moment he realises, he is no longer in love with her._

_———_

_He’s twenty-nine and everything went so wrong for him._

_Jenna used him for his wealth and couldn’t stand how ‘insecure’, ‘quiet’, ‘shy’ or ‘whiny about his parents’ he was. She said she wanted a ‘real man’. One that didn’t have so many anxiety issues. One who didn’t feel so needy all the time. One who didn’t need to lean on his girlfriend so much._

_His friends aren’t the kind you could rely on when things get tough. He learns that the hard way when Jenna leaves, and his friends make no effort to contact him. He’s all alone. Whenever he does see his friends, they don’t notice how sunken his eyes are or how thin he’s gotten compared to his once muscled body. They never ask how he’s doing. If he asks for help, they offer, but always end up rescheduling or forgetting about it altogether._

_He can’t talk to his family. His family had always been…difficult. He had been the black sheep for the longest time and now with no friends, no girlfriend, no career, he was considered even worse. Everyone now saw him as the boy who tried and failed._

_With no support and no friends, he can’t make any breakthroughs. His company suffers and goes bankrupt. The last time he’s felt this low in his life was that year he failed his last year at uni. Back when things were going so FUBAR for him. But things didn’t feel so bad then. How come?_

_Then he thinks of his first love. The name he had long forgotten. Things weren’t bad because she had always been there next to him. Smiling, supportive, caring. She always lifted him up when he felt terrible and never once gave up on him._

_Darcie, with her lovely piercing eyes. Her sweet, sensual lips. Her soft curves. Her odd combination of cute and seductive nature. How hard she worked for the things she wanted. How passionate she got when she defended him. How he took one look in her eyes and he knew she would walk to hell and back for him. If she were here right now, she’d kiss his cheek, put her arms around him and rest her forehead on his, promising him it’s all gonna be okay._

_That’s the moment he realises, he should have never let Darcie DeVille go._

——

**You’ll never guess who’s on Love Island.**

He receives the message from his sister, which surprises him because his sister rarely talks to him unless she’s berating him.

Confused, he looks up this year’s contestants and is shocked to find his ex there, more beautiful and confident than she had ever been before, and was the favorite of everyone. Of course she was. 

Everyone seemed to decide they were going to vote for Darcie regardless of who she was with because she was just that popular among the crowd. He watches all the episodes with her in it. He knows her game: Rocco is far from her type and ‘fuckboy’ is written all over his face. Darcie knows he’s going to mug her off, she’ll win the crowd’s sympathy and love more than she already had.

Then he clenches his fist in rage as he sees another familiar face enter the Villa. It only takes exactly one episode, but everyone falls in love with Lucas Koh and Darcie DeVille.

He watches as Lucas puts his hands all over his girl. Worse, he watches as she seems to moan and delight in his touch more than she ever had with him. He watched her look at his rival in a way she’s never looked at him before. She wasn’t this good of an actress. Whether she knew it or not, Darcie was falling for Lucas. 

Many people in the world have wanted to turn back time and undo a huge mistake. None more so than him. He thinks of what could have been if only he wasn’t so stupid. He wonders if she still loved him. If there was still a chance...

But then he gets an e-mail from the producers, asking him to come to Casa Amor, giving him the chance to win her back. How could he say no?

So, there he was. Seeing her again after all this time was both enchanting and heart-breaking. Was she always this beautiful? He can’t remember. There was once a time when he couldn’t stand to look at her face and found her downright ugly. How? 

“Hello, Darcie. Long time, no see.” he gives her a sad smile. He doesn’t even bother looking at the other girls. He knew who he was gunning for and he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

Her face is neutral. Unreadable. It breaks his heart. Once, he was the guy who saw every single emotion Darcie had kept hidden from the world. Now, he was just another person on the other side of her mask. 

No. Not for long. 

“What are you doing here, Carl?” she asks him.

He took a deep breath, “It’s a long story. Can we come up for a chat?” 

She looks like she’s about to say no. But she knows she can’t. She’s smarter than that. Darcie doesn’t want to come across as a bitter and angry ex. that would lose her points and he knows her. She’s in this to win. She needs the money. She doesn’t answer, merely nods, eyes not leaving him, like a prey closely watching that the predator doesn’t get too close. 

Carl and Darcie walk away, leaving behind looks of confusion and whispered questions. The tension is palpable. He sees how tightly she grips her water bottle and after all these years of being hers, he knows it’s because she’s scared and confused.

Slowly, they sit down on the swinging lounge chairs. As he watches her, he can’t believe this is the same girl he was once disgusted by. She was absolutely breathtaking. From the refined way she crossed her ankles to how her dainty hands fell on her smooth lap. The way her hair curled towards the lower strands. The green bikini she wore only highlighted every curve, every freckle, every muscle she had and she looked marvelous. 

He remembers every time that body was his. The effect he had on her. How she trembled and quivered under his touch. The way she moaned his name in his ear everytime he hit the right spot. How she looked into his eyes every time she was on her knees. 

He’d give anything to feel, hear and taste everything all over again. 

“You didn’t answer my question, Carl: what are you doing here?” Darcie repeats and she puts so much force in her words that he knows it’s because she’s trying to compensate for how scared she was.

Carl had always been accused of so many things: selfish, naive, cowardly. He may have been those things before but not today. Now, he swore he was going to be a different man. The kind who fought for what he wanted. 

And no one’s ever wanted Darcie more than he did. After all…

“I promised you that I’d always be there for you, didn’t I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding-ding-ding, we have a winner! Well, two. IzzyP123 and Partieducirque correctly guessed Carl!
> 
> Some of you thought it was either a new Islander or Kassam which I have to admit, I've toyed with the idea of both. Actually, fun fact: the original ex was meant to be Kassam and as Artsandlaughs said, the character backstory was that he's this immature DJ who's low-key spoiled af.
> 
> However, I went with Carl for one reason: one, he was the less obvious choice and I thought it was interesting to explore how soft boi can also be toxic in their own ways. Speaking as someone who's been clowned by a 'soft boi', little warning guys: if someone constantly has to say out loud they're a good person, they're probably not...Besides, after I realised he was from Ireland originally, I thought it would make an interesting connection!


	13. Casa Amor: Questions, Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Past demons return.

Darcie had always considered herself a tough girl. Perhaps in another lifetime, were she raised by better parents, lived different experiences or even had better relationships, she might have been a soft, nicer, more demure girl. But she wasn’t and she was okay with that. She was tough, ambitious, ruthless and did everything she could to get what she wanted. Life had been harsh and taught her nothing was ever going to get handed to you.

Which is why her break-up with Carl Devlin had been particularly difficult. For the longest time, she considered him to be the best thing that’s ever happened to her: her best friend, her love, her ally, her partner…she even deluded herself into thinking that perhaps one day, they would tell their story to their children. She even had names picked out: Carly for a girl and Darren for a boy. She envisioned them living in a lavish penthouse in Oxford, spending their days working hard, but coming home to their beautiful children and all eating a grand dinner. A family that loved each other. The kind she never really had…

She envisioned a life with Carl and was so caught up in her problems that she barely noticed how much Carl had been changing for the past few months prior to their breakup. He had been acting odd, aloof, making excuses not to see her…whenever she said she was feeling sad, he made little to no effort to comfort her. He would force her to go to parties and gatherings despite her busy and hectic schedule then leave her on her own as he would talk to his newfound friends. He stopped looking at her when they had sex. He no longer held her and kissed her for no reason at all. No efforts were made to start conversations. In hindsight, she did notice how he spoke a lot about this new intern they had. Any rational woman would be suspicious but at the time, Darcie had trusted Carl with her life. Plus, this was a time when he didn’t have many friends and she was delighted to see him having a friend crush on someone. Granted, she didn’t exactly expect it to be more than a ‘friend’ crush…

The breakup couldn’t have come at a worst time. Everything was going to hell with her family. She had been prescribed special pills due to her migraines and sudden difficulties with concentration. Her education, her only escape and plan for a future, had suffered as a consequence. She had to leave Oxford physically and opted to finish her final year via online courses. Even then, despite getting her degree, she only just passed, even though at the start, it was assumed she’d get the best grade in the course.

And now, she lost the person who knew her the most and that she loved more than anything.

Yet here he was, back in her life, waltzing in as if he didn’t abandon her. She hated his eyes. Even to this day, he had the most wonderful eyes she (and most people) had ever seen: a soft yet bright shade of sky blue and contrasted against his dark hair, it was no wonder Darcie fell for him. Truth is, it was a consensus that Carl had always been attractive. But his once-awkwardness and shy demenor tended to ‘scare’ the ladies away. Now, there was nothing stopping him from being some sort of hearthrob. 

She sees that he has both changed and hasn’t. He speaks louder and clearer than he ever had before, you’d never guess he once couldn’t say a single sentence without stuttering, never mind public speaking. He stands up straight, shoulders back and walks proudly. He even stopped looking at his feet when he walks. But she sees the way he fidgets with his hands still. How he bites his cheeks as a nervous tic. The way when she asked a difficult question, he seemed to freeze for a few seconds before answering. 

“I promised you that I’d always be there for you, didn’t I?” 

She pursed her lips, “Yes, well, when one abandons me when my whole life is going to shite, I don't really expect one to keep their promises.”

“I know.” he sighs, biting his cheek. “I never apologised properly for what I did to you, so I will now: I’m sorry, Darcie, for everything: cheating on you, lying to you, leaving you, treating you horribly…I want you to know that leaving you was the worst mistake of my life. I just feel so guilty about what I did. I think about you everyday, even in little things I don’t notice. Sometimes, I see an update for a movie I think you’d like and I wonder, ‘is Darcie going to watch it?’. Or when the new iPhone came out, it made me smile to think of you probably fighting someone to get the rose gold one.”

“I did get the rose gold one.” she adds.

Carl smiles, “I knew you would…or sometimes I would eat something at a new restaurant and think, ‘oh, wow, I’m sure Darcie would love this!’”

“And you saw me on Love Island and thought to yourself, ‘Gee, Darcie’s the sort of girl who would win this I bet, maybe I should miraculously learn the error of my ways and follow her to the Villa’.” Darcie finished for him.

He winced and Darcie tries not to smirk. She may not be able to be as brutal as she’d like to be right now given the fact that she’s on television, but she’s enjoying the fact that she can show Carl that she’s not as easily manipulated as she once was. Here were the facts: she was no longer in love with him, she didn’t see him through rose-tinted glasses anymore and she now saw him for what he really was.

“You know, there was a time I truly believed you were a good person and that one day, you would go on to do great things. Seriously, I thought you were going to change the world.” Darcie chuckles. “I realise now, you’re incapable of doing anything without someone holding your hand. You don’t care who that person is, you just want someone there, telling you that doing shitty things is okay, someone to tell you that you’re amazing when you feel insecure, someone who loves you so much that they’re willing to stay even if you treat them horribly.”

“That’s not true…” Carl denied. “I know this sounds cliche and all but I have changed, really. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately…”

“I bet you have.” Darcie pursed her lips, “What happened to your child bride? Emma? Anna? Gemma?"

Carl winced again, “Jenna. She was eighteen, Darce…”

“And you were twenty-seven when you banged her. She just started university and you were a grown man with a job and a girlfriend at home.” Darcie reminded him.

“You’re acting as if it’s illegal.” he frowned.

She glared at him, “I have a bachelor’s degree in law, Carl, don’t you dare mansplain legalities to me. I, of all people, know that just because something is lawful doesn’t make it right. But fine. Forget the fact that you felt the need to go out with a girl who’s barely legal to feel like a big strong man: how about the fact that you cheated on me, abandoned me and left me to rot?” 

“I was stupid. I had no idea what love was. I just got scared. We’ve been together for so long and I saw all my friends cracking on with so many women, I started fearing I was missing out…”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she sneered, “Do you have any idea how many guys ask me out? How many times I’ve fancied a guy but stayed away from them? The times I wanted to go out but I didn’t because you weren’t feeling well and needed company? The people I have crossed out of my life because they were cruel to you? Don’t you talk to me about missing out. I’ve missed out so much but I decided it was all worth it because it was you, Carl, and you didn’t even spare me a second thought when you started to hesitate even a little bit!” 

Carl winced. This was her legendary temper coming through. But the truth was, everything she said was true and everyone watching them had a similar experience with someone. They’d relate to her, no matter how hurtful she was.

“I was selfish. There’s no other way to say it.” Carl admits with a heavy sigh, “But you always did say absence made the heart grow fonder-“

“Except in your case, clearly. My absence just made your dick grow harder at the sight of other girls.” she stated the fact with such nonchalence that she might as well have shrugged and sipped some tea at the same time.

“We have too much history, Darce.” he says, ignoring what she had just said. "Come on, you have to admit, our story is incredible: childhood best friends, first loves, first serious relationship…it’s the kind of love story people would die to tell their grandkids. And I know what you’re going to say: then that makes me a big moron for giving it all up. I know, I screwed up…but I’m here now. I want to make things right: I’ll do whatever it takes. If we win together, I’ll gladly give you my half. If we lose, I wouldn’t care because we’d be together. But in any case, I just want to give us another shot.”

Darcie liked to herself as a tough badass. She would have liked to say she ended this conversation with a simple ‘no’, flip of her hair and walked away. But here’s the truth: she’s human. Yes, shocking. But she has feelings and emotions and memories of the boy in front of her: lazy Sundays where they spent the morning in bed, nestling into each other. Drunkenly singing cringey High School Musical songs before sharing sloppy, happy, alcohol-filled kisses. 3am walks to the nearest gas station just because one of them was craving cheesy chips. How she held him in her arms when he cried after a call with his mother frustrated him. Him buying takeout after she had just had a long study session. He knew every single part of her body: every freckle, every scar, every mark. He’s seen the best of her and the worst of her.

There was a lot of history there. And every single part of it just flashed before her eyes the more she looked at those stupid sky-blue eyes.

She had to leave, right now, before she gets in too deep.

“Carl, in case you forgot, you left. For the first time in our relationship, I was the one who needed you…and you abandoned me when I needed you the most. But you know what really hurts?” 

Carl stayed silent and she kept talking.

“Knowing that if you had just stayed and apologised, I would have forgave you. For cheating. For lying. For making my worst nightmare come to life. I would have done it for you because I loved you. And you abandonned me, the woman you’ve known for all those years, who was with you when you failed your last year in uni, who supported you when all your friends didn’t give two shits about you, who sacrificed so much for you, all for a woman you’ve known for less than a month and most of your so-called conversations were Snapchat convos or drunken talks.” 

“I know.” Carl said. “I screwed up. There’s no other way of saying it. I was childish, stupid, naive, insecure and selfish…You were always there when I needed you but when you needed me, I couldn’t run fast enough. I was a coward.”

“On that we agree.” she said bitterly.

“But you’ve always told me I never fought hard enough for the things I wanted. So here I am now, fighting: I know you hate me and I deserve that. But I want to make this right, Darce. I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care if I have to wait until after the show ends. I want us to be us again. I’ve made mistakes, yes but those mistakes just made me realise how much I want to be with you.” Carl sighed, taking a deep breath before he continued, "We have history, Darcie. You were the first girl I’ve ever truly loved. I get that forgiving me and giving me a second chance will be difficult. But weren’t you the one who always said anything that’s easy isn’t worth it? Before completely rejecting me, I just want you to be sure you’re not making a mistake and missing out on something that could be amazing, like we once were…"

She doesn’t answer. Instead, her eyes find her feet because she knows that if she looks up and sees those blue eyes once more, she might cave in. It’s harder to argue with him knowing everything he said was true: she did believe great things never came easily. She knew people are human at the end of the day and make mistakes. And…it was a lot of history she was throwing away.

But what he did…the things he said…how she had to go through the hardest time of her life all by herself while he partied up with friends and his brand new girlfriend…

“I have to go.” she responds instead, ready to leave and get up, hoping that by pulling down her sunglasses, no one could see how misty her eyes got.

“Wait, Darcie, there’s something else you should know…” Carl began.

She rolled her eyes and mockingly put her hand under her chin, “Oh, aye, really? What is that, Carl, my infamous ex known for his honesty and reliableness?”

“The lads and I, we briefly met the girls who were going to go into the villa to meet the boys. One of them is Blake Beckers…she said she was gunning for Lucas.” he told her.

Darcie was a bit peeved, but mostly unfazed. “I’m not worried about Lucas.” 

Carl shrugged, “You’re a better person than me. I know a lot about her. She’s a grad student, you know. Doing her master’s in Cambridge, got her first job interning for Anna Wintour, won the Alpine Fellowship Writing prize at 18, even hosted a few TedTalks. Isn’t that incredible? On top of that, she’s also a model. I know her because she’s Insta-famous."

Great. Beauty and brains and worked with Anna freakin’ Wintour. If she wasn’t jealous before, she sure as hell was now. Sounds like this chick was basically her but…perfect. The kind of person Darcie would have loved to become. Literally, winning an essay competition and hosting a TedTalk was on her bucket lists of dreams to achieve and here this girl was, doing it effortlessly. 

“She reminds me a lot of you, actually. Something about her just seemed very…you.” Carl said, “And it wouldn’t surprise me if Lucas thought so, too.”

“I know what you’re doing, but it won’t work.” Darcie says firmly, more to herself than him, “Lucas won’t have his head turned for her. He…He cares about me.” 

Didn’t he?

“He’s Lucas Koh. Darcie…you know I love you, but let’s look at facts here: your mom manages a tiny shop. Your brother is an addict. Your dad’s a deadbeat. Everyone knows you come from nothing, but not to me.” he says, his hand slipping over hers. 

Darcie stopped to think…it was true. She wasn’t anything special. She just got lucky getting to where she was. She got lucky getting Carl to like her in the first place…

_No. Not this again. The last time you thought like this, you let him walk all over you._

… _But who has loved me since?_

_Maybe he was right…Maybe **I** was right..._

She can feel herself shudder and she releases Carl’s hand and walks away. Her thoughts are getting dark and she doesn’t want to think anymore. She wants to get out of this damned villa. She wants…

_I want Lucas to come and tell me that Carl and I are wrong._

But there’s no way of telling, is there? She knows he’s going to bring a girl back. That, she didn’t care about. She knew he’d probably stick to his word and get back with her after they manufacture some good old TV drama. But what she cared about was how he felt…

_Or are you being stupid, caring more about a boy than money again? You did that before. Mom did that before. Look what happened._

Her hands fidget uncharacteristically as she walks back. When she returns, she can see her girls look at her with concern.

“Babes, are you okay?” Chelsea asks immediately.

“Snakey ex, isn’t he?” Lottie scowled, reaching out to her bra and pulling out a butter knife, “I’ll handle it.”

“LOTTIE, NO.” 

“Where did you even get a butter knife?” Priya pondered.

“Villa kitchen. Oh, come on, you lot, I wasn’t actually going to stab him!” Lottie rolled her eyes, then turned to Darcie, “Unless…?”

“We won’t be needing that quite yet.” Darcie gives a grin, but it’s missing her trademark sass and confidence. 

“Well, spill! What happened?!” Hope asks.

Darcie sighs, “Shit just got real, that’s what."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's ever had a snakey manipulative ex ask them to come back you'll know how much this sort of thing hurts :/ 
> 
> If you're thinking Darcie's being dumb for second-guessing everything, consider this: girl's still human and more vulnerable than she lets on. Besides, never underestimate the power of a manipulative ex...


	14. Casa Amor: Plans, Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You don't date Darcie DeVille for years without learning a few things about manipulation.
> 
> Unfortunately for Darcie, Carl has learned well.

_You promise it's different_

_You swear that you listened_

_I don't mind if you didn't_

_'Cause I just love the sound of your voice..._

_-_ 'Worst of You', by Maisie Peters

* * *

It was almost cruel, that the first challenge involve a series of dares.

When they were in the same university, Carl and Darcie would go to all sorts of parties. These parties had games, silly ones, and Darcie, ever the competitive one, was never one to back down from a challenge. She'd always pick Carl on her team and Carl, who was always normally a 'go with the flow' guy and was always too afraid to participate, was amazed at how infectuous her energy was. He could feel himself becoming just as spirited and competitive as she was and nothing felt sweeter than her tipsy, adrenaline-filled kiss after they won.

Looking back, it was a testament to how well they worked together, Carl thought. He would have never done any of those daunting things without Darcie's encouragement, like riding down a hill in a shopping cart and a helmet or jumping off a tall cliff into the deep ocean half-drunk just to finish this hilarious rally their mates had set up.

They usually did these dares with each other: hand in hand, side by side and winning together.

Then, he watched her win with Lucas Koh, of all people. Why, oh why, did it have to be the Golden Boy of England's high society? Why did Lucas work so well with Darcie, perhaps even better than Carl, because he knew damn well Lucas didn't need Darcie to be bold and daring. He just was. But somehow, both he and Darcie always seemed like they were constantly challenging each other to be better. It drove Carl crazy with envy.

Now that he's in Casa Amor, he wanted nothing but to win with Darcie once again. Prove that they were the power couple, always was and will. 

But the moment the first challenge began and they had to pick partners, Darcie's little soldiers practically formed a wall between him and her. 

The tall scary tattooed one gave him a glare so cold, he honestly thought he was going to turn into ice. "No way in hell, Lover Boy." she demanded as she firmly stood her ground in front of him, proclaiming herself as his new partner for this challenge, though it was obvious that she was into Kassam and only doing this to prevent him from getting to Darcie.

Carl expected this. Darcie was a big fan of Sun Tzu and employed minions everywhere. Defenders, pawns, soldiers, whatever you called them. 

Around him, everyone was having fun: flirting, the competitive spirit in the air, the newness of it all intoxicating everyone. But Carl was too focused on the prize to let himself have fun. This whole time, all he could wonder was how on earth he was going to be able to get close to Darcie...

When the challenge was over, he looked around the new villa. Carl may not have been some criminal mastermind, but you don't date a girl like Darcie DeVille for years without learning a thing or two about master manipulation.

Step One: find the dumbest person with the puppy dog face to use as an ally. 

"Hey, Priya, look what I can do!" screamed the excitable, blue-haired wonder as he dove into the pool and stood on his hands.

...Bingo.

"Hey, Felix, can we have a chat?" Carl asked. 

"Sure, bruv." Felix smiled as he got out of the pool and shook his whole body around. Wow. He actually was a puppy. "What's on your mind?"

"You know how there's going to be a party tonight? Well, I need your help..."

* * *

Avoiding Carl had been a lot easier than Darcie thought and honestly, she had the girl code to thank.

Say what you want about girls, but that stereotype of girls being catty and hating each other are all bullshit. When one of them is truly in trouble, they protect their own. Everytime Carl even looked towards Darcie, one of the girls would immediately go by her side and ensure that she wasn't alone with him. Sometimes, they'd even flat out drag her away from him, which she was not complaining about at all.

Darcie smiled. After what she's been through in the past, it's nice to know that she can always count on people. She can't thank these girls enough for sacrificing their time to graft on a new beau to instead help out their old friend. 

' _When I win the game, I'm taking them all out to a huge shopping spree_.' she decides with a smile. Boutiques, cocktails, spas and topped off with a fancy restaurant. 

Then she remembered, she was here to win, right?

Despite everything, a chuckle escapes her. What preoccupied her thoughts lately isn't her usual gameplan, but more on Lucas and their situation. He made her thoughts all muddy and it was difficult to think straight. Now that she knows she genuinely likes him, this makes things even more complicated..

Well, she wants him. That much is certain. There's no point denying it any more than she already has.

But she hate how she couldn't talk to him because what happens with their deal now? Love or not, she still wanted to win. She needed to. She's not like everyone else, she came out of nothing and she needed that money to build her career and pay off loans. 

Truth is, she's not so worried about it. She knows Lucas's a nice guy and will hold up his end of the bargain regardless of romantic developments between them.

The question is, what of romantic developments outside of Darcie and Lucas with each other?

She chewed on her lip, nervous about the villa back home. Specifically, about this 'Blake' woman. She sounded like a better version of Darcie. The way Carl described her, all she could think about was that meme 'you vs the girl he told you not to worry about'. Blake was the latter.

Of course Carl would be the one to plant this seed of doubt. Not just in Lucas' loyalty, but in her own feelings...

Carl was a big part of her life, there's no erasing that. He was her first everything and that's something you don't forget, no matter how hard she tried.

He was also her biggest question: what happened?

Was Carl always this way and she never noticed? Was it something she did? Why did it end the way it did? What did she do wrong...?

It was all too easy for Darcie to think she was the problem. Why not? She's been the problem all her life: the reason her mother works too hard, the reason her dad left, the reason her brother can't stay sober. Why not also be the reason the love of her life now saw her as a burden?

These were thoughts that once plagued Darcie endlessly. For months, it was unfathomable for her to believe that sometimes, people just fall out of love. Or sometimes, people just aren't who we thought they were. The longer you've known that person, the harder it is to accept their betrayal. 

Carl's return just brought back more questions. She doesn't love him anymore, at least she thinks...if she had to choose right here and now, it was barely a choice: Lucas Koh had her heart by a landslide. Lucas Koh and his stupid handsome smile. Lucas Koh and his freakin' stylish hair that looked good even when it was messy in the morning. Lucas Koh and that annoying way he's always trying to tell her he cares about her. Lucas Koh and that frustrating habit he had of trying to make sure she was happy all the time. Lucas Koh who always seemed to put Darcie above himself and it drove Darcie mad, because the more she thought about it, the more she fell for him. 

And the more she fell, the harder it will be when he breaks her heart.

She shakes her head. He hasn't broken anything yet. Just thinking of how he stares at her like she's got the sun shining out of her arse, Darcie doubts he will break anything soon.

But then again, did she not think the same thing about Carl?

No. It's different this time...right?

Or rather, is it all just history repeating itself and would the smarter choice be to return to Carl, who she at least had history with...

She was interrupted by her thoughts when she felt two arms wrap around her in a tight bear hug. She was tempted to push her off, but she knew instantly from the Britney Spears' Fantasy perfume that it had to be Chelsea.

"Sorry, babes, but you just looked so sad! You seem like you needed a hug!" Chelsea claimed as she released Darcie and sat next to her.

Chelsea had just gone up to the girls' dressing room to grab some lip gloss, but then she saw Darcie, looking the way Chelsea looked when she saw Titanic for the first time. But as far as she knows, there's no hidden cinema playing Titanic in the villa, so there must have been another reason Darcie seemed so upset.

Despite herself, Darcie smiled. Chelsea was the kind of girl she usually avoided being friends with: ditzy, childish, naive. But she couldn't help but have her heart warm at Chelsea's kindness and concern. This girl barely knew Darcie and she always seemed so worried about her well-being. It helped that Darcie knew that while Chelsea may never truly understand the complexities of Darcie's emotions, she was there to lend an ear and that alone was worth so much.

"Thanks, Chels. I did need it. Badly..." Darcie admits.

"It's Carl, isn't it?" Chelsea glared, or at least gave her version of a glare, which was about as intimidating as one of those pomeranian dogs looking mad. "That boy drives me mad! Ugh, exes like that are just the worst! Like, take a hint, right?! I'm so sorry you have to deal with him, babes. But don't worry! As long as we're around, we'll protect you!"

Darcie smiled. Usually, she'd answer she doesn't need to be protected. She was a woman who could defend herself, thank you very much.

But she's come to learn that strength doesn't mean dealing with things alone. It also means allowing yourself to be protected when necessary. This doesn't make her any less of a strong person. Quite the opposite in fact.

"I know. And thank you, really." Darcie smiled, but decided she's spent too long dwelling on issues and decided to focus on more positive things, "So, are you hear to get ready for the party tonight?"

Chelsea nods excitedly, "You know me so well! I mean, I take ages to get ready. Hmm...wanna help me choose my makeup? You've always got such good style, I'd love your opinion!"

"I think we should go for a rose-gold look for you tonight." Darcie suggests.

Chelsea's jaw drop, "OMG. We are so in sync, I was thinking of that!" 

Darcie and Chelsea laughed excitedly as they began helping each other with the products. Bit by bit, they just spoke of their lives outside the villa. In reality, Darcie and Chelsea were two people who you'd never expect to be friends. It was like the very epitome of a Slytherin-Huffleuff friendship. Still, it worked. Darcie was completely charmed by Chelsea's innocence and Chelsea was just in awe at how smart Darcie was. Well, opposites attract, after all. 

"Let's take it a step further. I say, we start a girls only pre-drinks right now!" Darcie exclaimed.

"YAAAS! I'll go grab the bubbly!" Chelsea raced out of the room.

"I'll grab the girls!" Darcie excitedly, running into the bedroom then through the balcony and screaming, "HO-VENGERS, ASSEMBLE!"

Everyone in Casa Amor blinked. "...Girls, get your asses up here."

"Why didn't you just say so, you nerd?" Marisol laughed.

"Hey, don't diss on Marvel!" Lottie defends as the girls all began to go inside the villa.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was a scene right out of some cheesy teen movie from the 90s: pink eyeshadow and red lipsticks scattered, perfume scents filled the room, clothing montages from every girl trying to figure out which one they liked most, 'Pretty Girl Rock' played like some kind of hymn at this point and empty glasses of champagne everyhwere.

It was such a fun time, Darcie managed to forget her worries for a while. 

She had no way of knowing that while she was having fun, Carl Devlin was plotting.

* * *

Needless to say, when the girls came out, heels were tripping, champagne flutes were spilling and lips were laughing and singing drunkenkly.

The boys looked and saw the Villa girls, arms all linked together and drunkenly singing, " _Asdfghjkl...AYYYYYYEEE MACARENA_!"

"Oi, pre's started without us?" Graham exclaimed.

"Ohhhh, boat man is mad!" Lottie giggled as she moved forward and playfully booped Graham's nose. 

"Why don't you go calm his troubled waters, Marisoool?" Priya winked as she and Lottie pushed Marisol into Graham's arms.

"Oh, leave my sailor man alone!" Marisol laughed as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Sailor man? I didn't see that episode of Sailor Moon..." Chelsea blinked. Obviously, she was that kind of drunk.

"Ohhh, I dressed as Sailor Mars once during Halloween!" Darcie commented as she spun around, "Damn, was I fine..."

' _Yes, you were_.' Carl thought. He remembered that Halloween. That ridiculously short red skirt and the impossibly high heels. Her already-long hair was even longer that day because she knew she was coming as Sailor Mars and she wanted to grow her hair out. Every time she flipped her hair, the scent of her Miss Dior hair mist seemed to leave a trail in the air. 

All night, she received compliments from girls and attention from boys. But her eyes were only on Carl. Always only on Carl. God, he felt so stupid when he thought of just how lucky he was. Or of how incredibly dumb he was to let her go.

He shook his head. It didn't matter. Seems like his little plan was even easier tonight considering how tipsy every girl was.

He looked over at the boys, who all nodded and grinned at him. Carl had pleaded his case to them: the dumb ex who wanted his girl back but he needed his help to get her.

Another thing Darcie taught him is that everyone loved to feel special. Saying something as simple as 'I can't do this without your help' is enough to convince someone, but when you make them feel part of a team, it becomes some sort of weird group effort thing. Unbeknownst to Darcie and her merry little band of she-soldiers, the men were all in it together for one goal: make sure Carl gets to Darcie alone.

As soon as the girls showed up, Carl watched as the men made a beeline for their respective girls: Graham and Marisol were already covered, but Kassam instantly popped by Lottie's side, Felix grabbed Priya's attention by doing some flips or something, Elijah immediately came to Chelsea with two glasses and led her to the swings. Arjun swayed Hope by attempting to teach her how to dance.

Leaving Darcie tipsy and defenseless.

And for the first time since his arrival at Casa Amor, Carl finally got his way through her walls

"Hey, Darce..." he says gently, putting one of his hand behind her shoulders and the other holding her wrist. It was a gesture he had done so many times before during nights out, when he could tell she drank more than him and was feeling particularly tipsy.

He purposely put his face closer to hers and as she looked at him with beady, tired eyes, it was so hard for him not to kiss her right then and there. It felt like a straight flashback to their university days. Those nights they danced together, walked back home together, then on the way home, she would stop him in his tracks and kiss him. Gently sometimes, but ferociously and full of passion most of the time, like she had to have him right then and there.

"You look like you need to sit down."

"I don't need no one telling me what I should or shouldn't do..." Darcie slurred. Wow. She must have been drunker than she thought. Then again, she had drank more and faster than the other girls had. She just really didn't want to think tonight.

She didn't register how Carl led her back inside, gently putting her on the couch and taking off her shoes. He lifted her legs and sat on the couch with her, then put her legs over his lap. His fingers danced on her legs. He looked at her legs and saw that the scar on her right thigh from an accident when she was younger seems to have faded a tad bit. He wondered if she was still sensitive whenever he circled his fingers from her knees up to her thighs...

"No, you never did need anyone." Carl chuckled. When he met Jenny, he loved how vulnerable she was with him. She was young, ditzy, always needed to be protected and made Carl feel like a big man all the time, protecting his beloved damsel-in-distress. He never had that feeling with Darcie, who always tried to resolve things on her own before ever asking him for help, which was rare.

"I needed you..." she reminded him. This time, he could hear the bitterness in her voice. "For the first time in my life, I was the one who really needed you. And you ran."

"I know." Carl says softly, "I'm sorry."

And he means it. He takes her hand in his and gently squeezes it.

She groans, putting her hand over her head, "Where's Lucas? I need to talk to him, about everything."

His hand tightens around her, "Lucas isn't here."

"You're hurting me..." she says absent-mindedly. She's not sure who's hurting her hand so damn tightly or where she was or why Lucas wasn't here...

"Sorry." Carl mutters, losening his grip. "Darcie, what do you want to tell Lucas?"

"That I'm falling in love with him." she says this into the sofa's cushion. She slurs in her voice. It's impossible for anyone to understand what she says.

But Carl understood perfectly. 

"He's gonna leave you." Carl says sternly and he can feel Darcie freeze in his arms. "Everyone does eventually, right? Leave you. Cheat on you. Abandon you. Why would he be any different? Especially him. He's Lucas Koh, Darce, he's probably got literal Victoria's Secret models throwing themselves at him. You really think he'll resist? He's a man. You've said so yourself, everywhere around us, all we hear are stories of people cheating. If ordinary people cheat, what makes you think an attractive, wealthy, well-liked man like Lucas won't when he has so many options? And if he's anything like his dad, he won't stay faithful to you. Go out with him, and you'll be just like Lucas' mother, and yours, too: a girl everyone pities because they all know that the man she loves doesn't love her and is out there screwing and loving every other woman but her."

He can feel her shudder. He knows it's not from the cold. Although her face is still hidden in the cushion, he knows she's crying.

"I'm so fucking stupid..." she trembles as her hands find the front of her eyes. 

Carl's heart falls. He wraps his arm around her and pulls her up from the couch, making her sit down. 

"I'm sorry." he says, slowly moving towards her. He takes her hands covering her eyes and move them away. Even when she cried, she was beautiful to him. She looked at him with dazed and confused eyes. "I'm sorry I made myself seem like the victim. I'm sorry I practically left you for dead. Most of all, I'm sorry I made you believe I didn't love you when the truth is, you were and still are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm more in love with you now than ever..."

He didn't wait to see how she answered. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to relive those days. When things were fine between them. When the excitement of having Darcie DeVille choose him over all those boys still filled his heart with glee. When it was all new and they were still discovering each other. 

Looking at her now, it felt like reliving everything for the first time. So he couldn't help himself when he bent down and kissed her, in the same ferocious and passionate way she used to kiss him. 

This is how it's supposed to be: Carl Devlin and Darcie DeVille, childhood sweethearts, teenage best friends, first loves and each other's final loves. Sure, they've had some bumps in the road, but what great couple in history hasn't? Everytime a couple in the movies is challenged, it only makes it greater when they get back together. 

They were no exception, and Carl had no doubt in his mind that this is how the movie ends: Darcie in his arms, and everything is right with his world again, and he could hear the music from outside playing like some kind of end credits song.

_You've got me right in the palm of your hand and you know it_

_Oh, it's what you do_

_So let me drown, I'll be there with the band_

_Hit the sea bed, all I'd see is you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all I deadass stayed until 2:45 am to write this no pressure but you guys better like it T.T


	15. Casa Amor: Drama, Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of last night's events.

She’s not really moving much anymore. But the last thing she remembers is her lips touching someone else’s. 

It felt like revisiting a long-lost home...

For a second, she's tempted to give into it all and think about the implications later.

But then she cringes as the lips on hers were too rough, too clumsy, invoked too much mixed feelings of pleasure and dread. It reminded her of a long lost home, but not one she wanted to revisit. That home was now haunted, filled with cobwebs and beautiful memories soured by the horrible end. It was the kind of kiss most novels of forbidden love were made of. 

And yet, she doesn't want that bullshit kiss, filled with uncertainties and one-sided loves and cold shoulders. She wanted the kisses she had before, soft and gentle but full of passion. The kisses that made her feel wanted, and made her want him to know just how much he was wanted too.

But the question in her mind lingered...was Carl right? Was it inevitible that Lucas would lose interest in her?

After all, if the fixer upper that was Carl could hurt her so badly, who's to say Lucas, who had the looks, money, personality and intelligence, wouldn't do the same?

She felt like crying. She felt like being comforted and told it was all going to be okay. She didn't want kisses. She wanted hugs and whispers of kind words. At first, she tries to push him off, but either she was too weak or Carl wasn't listening. 

So her knees ended up jerking in front, purposely hitting Carl's groin and causing him to fall off her.

"Fuck, Darcie!" he yelled.

But Darcie couldn't give a shit. All that mattered was he was off her.

Ugh, she was so sick and tired of wondering what the truth was. What was reality or what was just all a game.

Then she realises, part of it is her fault. This whole thing started out as a game to her. She just didn't expect to actually catch feelings in the end. When things start out as a game, especially one where the rules aren't clearly defined, things get messy quickly. 

She wondered if, perhaps, Lucas wondered the same thing she was. Was he worried that she would fall for someone else for real, too? Or was it the opposite? Was he having the time of his life with this Blake girl or some other girl, barely giving her a second thought? What if standing in front of her was a perfectly good guy, one she's known her whole life, who just made a mistake because he's human, and he was willing to make amends? She knew Carl her whole life. Arguably, he was more important to her than her own family, who's shunned her all too many times. For so long, he was all she had. Was she ready to throw that away? 

Maybe...if Lucas' feelings were as strong as he claimed. But were they?

Her head ached at all these questions. She just wanted to stop thinking.

She just kicked off her heels and began to walk away, ignoring whatever the hell Carl was saying in response to her kneeing his crotch. She was ready to walk upstairs, get into bed and just sleep the whole thing off. Perhaps get the bed closest to the bathroom, because she had a feeling this would be a 'hugging the toilet' kind of night.

Instead, she felt Carl grab her wrist and pull her back, "Darcie, wait-"

Just as quickly as Carl grabbed her, she felt two arms grab her waist and pull her away, while a streak of blonde and purple pushed Carl away violently.

"Fuck off!" she hears Lottie yell at Carl. She feels dizzy from the whole back-and-forthing, but she smells coconut and Fantasy perfume and knows instantly it's Priya and Chelsea holding her.

"We were having a private conversation." Carl protested calmly. 

A surge of hate rushed in Darcie's veins. Of course he said it calmly. He liked to play the shy, innocent boy. Next to Lottie's tall, dark-eyelinered, domineering and drunken persona, Carl looked like a lost puppy being yelled at. She had no doubt how this would play out on live TV. 

"Seems to me like she's drunk and you want to mess her head up." Lottie shot back.

"I get that you're concerned. But so am I! You don't know Darcie like I do. I just don't want to see her get hurt." Carl insisted.

"Oh, now, you're concerned!" Priya laughed sarcastically. "That's rich."

"Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?" Carl asked. "I messed up once, I won't mess up again. She knows I won't, she knows I care about her. I know her better than anyone and I still want her, can that Lucas guy say the same thing?"

His eyes were pleading, looking only at Darcie when he said this. Ugh. Those eyes. They always looked even shinier somehow when he was upset. She looked into those eyes and remembered the nine-year-old outcast, whose insecurities shadowed his potential. She remembered even when she was five, all she ever wanted was for him to see how amazing he truly was and so they could be amazing together.

"Come on, hun, let's go..." Chelsea said softly as she began to lead Darcie away. She let her, and it was only when she felt Chelsea pull her sweater sleeve to her hands and wiped Darcie's tears away that she realised she was still crying.

It was a peculiar feeling. She felt too much and nothing at all at the same time.

She felt Chelsea and Priya gently put her to bed, but she could hear Lottie screaming at Carl downstairs. Part of her felt sorry for Lottie, but another was secretly proud.

The velvety soft covers felt foreign to her. A brand new bed that didn't have Lucas in it. She frowned. 

All the 1000-thread count egyptian cotton sheets, beds topped with five inches of memory foam and soft silky pillowcases, and all she could think about was how easily she would trade it all for a too-thin blanket in the daybeds outside with mosquitos and noises and all if it meant Lucas was by her side.

* * *

The next day, she was relieved to find that Chelsea had opted to sleep next to her. She was afraid Carl would try to sneak into her bed. But she smiled. She should have known her girls would have it covered.

Surprisingly, despite the raging hangover, she was the first to wake up. As she pulled herself to sit up, she spotted Carl sleeping next to Elijah instead. She felt sorry for Elijah. He and Chelsea seemed to have been hitting it off quite well (although if you asked her, he and Arjun seems to have been hitting it off even more so).

Bits and pieces of last night came to her and she found herself groaning. She wanted to deal with absolutely none of it, certainly not this early in the morning. Existential love crises can wait. Right now, she needed to feed herself.

Tiptoing with the silence and precision of a ninja, she snuck out of the bed and into the girl's dressing room. She slapped on some moisturiser, tinted sunscreen, wore her famous frilly checked bikini, slapped on some Mac Ruby Woo on her lips and grabbed her oversized sunglasses.

The sun was frustratingly bright today, but Darcie felt like she was in some sort of war today. With what, she wasn't sure. All she knew was, she was determined to have a nice day.

Er, or at least, a nice morning.

So she began scouring the kitchen for ingredients and decided she'd make pancakes for everyone. Much like cleaning, cooking was something that could be soothing, if done during the weekend when you don't have any deadlines or things to stress about, of course (which, for Darcie was, well, never). She was no Jamie Oliver in the kitchen but she could make a decent stack of pancakes, especially since her grandmother from her father's side once taught her the recipe for really good fluffy American pancakes.

Inside the Casa Amor villa, some began to wake up to the scent of buttery pancakes. The other boys were completely knackered, all boozed up and tired after last night's drama (let's just say, after Darcie got to bed, shit went down). The girls, all used to waking up early in the morning, smelled it and began to follow the delicious aroma into the kitchen outside.

"Hey, guys!" Darcie greeted them, waving with the spatula in her hand.

"Are those pancakes?!" Hope exclaimed.

"Yep. Get them while they're hot!" she smiled as she began to stack them up in several plates.

"Oh, my God, with the hangover I have, they're well-deserved!" Marisol moaned as she practically teleported into the kitchen seat.

"You all deserve them, for having my back last night." Darcie gave them a thankful smile. The girls all smiled back, but waved their hands.

"You'd do the same for us, babes. Don't worry about it." Priya said, "But, if it means pancakes as a thank you, I'll gladly have your back forever!"

Darcie grinned as she prepped the pancakes, "So, other than me passing out early last night, anything interesting happened?"

She expected developments in the whole grafting department. However, it seemed like there was everything but.

"A shitton happened. Lottie went off on Carl." Priya grinned proudly and Darcie shot her a thankful smirk in return.

"And the boys heard me yelling at him so everyone just came inside the villa. Turns out, Carl purposely asked all the boys to make sure we were all 'busy' so you'd be alone and he could get to you." Lottie explained. 

"Then we got annoyed, for a lot of reasons. I mean, one, it's just a snakey thing to do, to be honest. And two, it made the cute moments we had with the boys that night seem staged. We had no way of telling if it was real or all part of this masterplan to help Carl." Marisol said sadly.

Darcie felt sorry for her. Even more so knowing that she was the root cause of all this drama. Although, she's sure the whole of the UK were glued to their screens as they watched the showdown between the girls and the boys last night. But she couldn't help but wonder what the public will believe. Will they see it as a conniving plot to get a poor girl alone or a desperate man in love's romantic gesture gone wrong?

"It was proper scary, though, but also, kind of exciting, in a weird way? It was a total Girl Power moment. Or maybe we were just made that they were all acting snakey. Actually, I was afraid all the yelling would wake you up." Chelsea admitted.

"I mean, was it _that_ snakey, though?" Hope began to question. "He's a guy who recruited his friends to help him get back with his ex. Maybe he just wanted a second chance...we never did hear why Darcie and him broke up."

Lottie glared, "It doesn't matter _why_. Girl code, Hope!"

"No, she's got a point." Darcie sighed, "Well, sort of. I appreciate the help, but you girls don't know why we broke up. That being said, trust me, whatever shit he's got coming to him...he deserves it."

Most of the girls nodded. Only because they've experienced it before and they could tell from the way Darcie's voice lowered that it must have been a big deal. But Hope still wasn't too convinced.

"I don't know...he talked to me last night, you know? After the whole drama of it all. He told me a bit more of your relationship and...wow, Darce. It's fairytale material." Hope said softly. She wasn't being ironic, she truly believed that. It was the stuff rom-coms were made of. 

"Yes. Up until the end." Darcie reminds Hope.

But Hope chewed her lip, unconvinced. Weren't there many movies were the love interest screws up big-time, then makes it up to the main character one way or another, then they live happily ever after? Maybe this was just that...

"I know, I know, but...Darcie, you should have heard how he talked about you." Hope said. "He remembered all these little things, like those ladybug earrings you used to wear all the time as a kid, then he got you a pair of gold ladybug earrings when you turned 18 that you never took off either. He told me how he used to wake up in the middle of the night and put socks on your feet because you were always cold but you can't stand sleeping with your feet inside the covers. I know it sounds like I'm defending him, and I'm not, but I just, I don't know. I guess I want you to know that when he talks about you, there's real warmth in his voice."

' _Because that's what he does.'_ she thought bitterly. _'He plays the shy boy who would never hurt anyone role so well. Makes those big eyes look bigger and that gentle voice even gentler, and you'd think he was the perfect gentleman who couldn't possibly do no wrong.'_

"You don't know him like I do, Hope. Trust me, everything he says, he doesn't mean it, even if he thinks he does." Darcie says firmly, although she's not sure if she's saying it to Hope or reminding it to herself. 

Because as much as her logic tells her that it's Carl being Carl again, wanting her temporarily probably because everyone else in his life left, there's a little sliver in her that wonders...

* * *

From inside the villa, Carl woke up grumpy. Yesterday was a shitshow. 

After the whole boys vs girls argument, the boys basically turned on him, angry that he's basically 'ruined their chances' with the girls. Some weren't so mad, like Felix and Elijah. They were a bit more understanding about it. Others who felt like they actually stood a good chance, like Graham and Kassam, were extremely annoyed about it all. 

But there was one silver lining to the whole thing.

After everyone dispersed and were all cooling off, Hope approached him. Seems like she was curious as to why he had gone through so much trouble to get to Darcie. 

Finally, he confessed, and it all came out like water from a fountain. Once he started, he couldn't stop. Of course, he omits the nasty details that paints him in a less attractive light. He keeps the end ambiguous, says that 'he screwed up' and nothing more. But then he talks of Darcie and their memories together: going into backyards as children and 'making potions' by digging holes in the dirt and putting random herbs and water together. Summers where they excitedly showed each other their new Nintendo game systems and they'd spend hours playing Just Dance. That time he was upset because his father wouldn't stop comparing him to his perfect sister, so Darcie insisted on a road trip to Derry where they filled empty highways at night with loud High School Musical songs and their cringey voices singing from the top of their lungs. 

By the end of it all, Carl remembered something he already knew: theirs was a perfect love story. Everyone had always said so. When they first began dating, both Carl and Darcie would tell the story of them proudly. It wasn't one where they met on a dating app, not a story of betrayal where one was dating someone else or anything, nothing scandalous of the sort. Just plain old childhood sweethearts who fell in love. 

He can't believe he gave that all up, and for what?

The scent of pancakes woke him up that day and he knew it was Darcie's. He's woken up many times to that aroma, usually when Darcie felt particularly grateful. He was the first of the boys to get dressed and ready. You'd think he'd be nervous, a gazelle going into the den of lionesses. And he was nervous. As he approached the kitchen, he could feel the girls' cold gaze towards him. Some muttered 'good mornings' out of politeness, but they were all filled with spite.

At the same time, Carl knew that if he cowered away, even more reason for Darcie to believe Carl hadn't changed at all. No, he had to prove that this time, he was willing to do whatever it took. So despite the glares of every girl, he took a seat on the kitchen table.

"Here's some for you, Chelsea." Darcie greeted with a perky smile of a 50s Housewife as she poured a generous amount of golden syrup onto Chelsea's plate.

"Aww, babes, this looks completely Instagrammable!" Chelsea squealed and it truly was. The heart-shaped pancakes, the strawberries, the golden syrup glistening...

"Can't forget you guys, of course." she said as she served some to Hope and Priya, who were more than happy with the meal.

"And my favorite friend I love to hate." she winked at Marisol, who laughed and winked back.

Darcie approached Lottie and handed out pancakes with chocolate syrup and instead of heart-shaped, it was star-shaped like a pentagram. Very Lottie. "Four for you, Ms Lottie Lane, you go, Lottie Lane."

Carl put his finger out, "Um-"

Darcie walked away, "And none for Carl Devlin, bye."

A few snickers were heard and Carl couldn't help but feel this was all very secondary school of her. Then again, he knew how petty Darcie could be, especially when someone was on her shit list. 

In any ordinary circumstances, Carl's chances were extremely low.

Luckily for him, he was on Love Island and he was about to get a lifeline in three, two, one...

"I got a text!" Priya chirped as she grabbed her phone, but then immediately frowned, "Islanders, time to get a sneak peek of what's going on back at home..."

Immediately, everyone's stomach dropped. 

However, Carl had to stop himself from smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone still interested in this story? Because I've found some inspiration for it lately but seems like ther'es not that much interest anymore x'D Oh well, plenty more where that came from. Next chapter, we return to Lucas once more...


	16. Casa Amor: Of Fairytales and Blackmails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at what's going on with Lucas, and some new developments with Ms Blake Beckers...

_Tonight is another night that their mother and father have organised. Hors d'oeuvres consisting of the finest caviar shipped from Spain, ice cold Dom Perignon, gowns and tuxedos filled with Oscar de La Rentas, Giorgio Armanis, and other recognisable names, all in one mansion so beautiful it could have been a historic monument. In fact, it technically was: Holiday House used to belong to one of the greatest American dynasties. Now, it was the Koh's summer home in America._

_Lucas breathed in the air outside the balcony. The music playing from another room behind him was lovely, the flowers in the garden mixed with the summer night smelled intoxicating and the stars were shining like diamonds. This would all be a beautiful evening, if it wasn't for the context._

_Only a few hours ago, his mother and father were at it, again. From his room, he could hear thuds, screaming, yelling and things breaking. This summer holiday was meant to be a fresh start for his parents. His father promised last week he would change, be a better man, only have eyes for his mother...well, you can guess how long that promise lasted._

_“Abeoji and Nanay are doing that thing again.” he hears his sister say behind him, “The bigger the party, the bigger the inner conflict and drama.”_

_“As per usual…” Lucas sighs._

_“How are you doing?” Lexie asks._

_“About Abeoji and Nanay? They always do this, it’s nothing new.” Lucas waves off._

_“I meant about Carl Devlin being here.” Lexie clarifies. “Can’t believe he showed his face after all these years. Did you notice how much ass he’s been kissing ever since his shitty company fell apart?”_

_“Pathetic.” Lucas rolled his eyes, “Even on his Insta, all he did was post pictures of him and those trashy parties with those fame-hungry ‘friends’ and ‘girlfriend’ of his. Notice how now he doesn’t post anything anymore?”_

_“I know.” Lexie rolled her eyes. “Do you think he’s seen the promo pics for Love Island Season 2?”_

_Lucas grinned. He saw that Darcie had been one of the contestants. She was a shoe-in for the favorite. She knew how to work a room._

_“I hope so. I hope he’s pissed off about it, too.”_

_“It is perfect timing, isn’t it?” Lexie grins back. “The scorned lover rises in fame and fortune while the cheating scum becomes a failure. Ugh, I love it! I’m so voting for her to win every night when the show starts!”_

_“So will a lot of people.” Lucas smiles, but it fades away knowing how Darcie’s reputation ended among the Oxford elite circle, “Probably not any one of our peers, though.”_

_“They will if we tell them to.” Lexie says firmly, “We’re Kohs. Our word is law around here. Actually, now that you mention it, now that Devlin’s kind of a disgrace, it’s the perfect time to bring up Darcie and casually ask people, ‘hmm, I wonder if Carl was telling the truth…’”_

_Lucas’ eyes widened, “You’re right! ‘Hmm, isn’t it suspicious that supposedly Darcie was the crazy and cruel one, yet he was the one who ended up with an eighteen-year-old thot and brand new shiny friends?’ I mean, I still don’t know why everyone was so quick to believe Carl. Didn’t anyone find it strange how introvert and quiet Carl suddenly became so big-headed and confident now that Darcie wasn’t here to defend herself?”_

_“Not really. In those cases, you paint Darcie as the ball-busting extrovert who manipulated Carl. It’s always easy to believe the loud one is the mean one and the quiet one is the poor victim.” Lexie shrugs. “Especially if we’re talking about a woman being painted as the ‘crazy’ one.”_

_“Well, he convinced Abeoji that Darcie was a liar and a schemer.” Lucas answers. “Everyone follows what Abeoji says all the time.”_

_“Of course Abeoji would believe Carl. Cheaters support other cheaters.” Lexie sighs. “Well…the love of your life is in Love Island. Whacha gonna do?”_

_Lucas’ eyes widened and he immediately spat out the Dom Perignon he’d been sipping, spilling it all over his Brunello Cucinelli blazer and slacks. “L-Love of my-What are you talking about? I don’t-I barely know her-Like, she’s pretty but-“_

_Lexie raised her eyebrow at him and grinned. Lucas sighed. “I was that obvious, huh?”_

_“Super obvious." his sister grins at him. "Listen, Lucas, I don’t know Darcie that well. But I'm sure of three things: one, I can tell she’s clever and ambitious. But enough to fake being in love and using Carl? I don't know...in all these years that she’s been in our world, surrounded by people who are richer and more well-connected than Carl, her eyes never wandered.”_

_It pained Lucas to admit it, but this was true. Someone hopelessly in love was a look he could easily recognise in someone's face. Why? Well, because it looked so out of place. When you grow up in a world where people married each other for wealth and status, it's so rare to see someone look at their partner like they were the sun and stars all in one. Anyone with half a brain cell could tell Darcie truly loved Carl, because she looked at him in a way that their own mothers would never look at their fathers._

_“True.” he says, reluctantly._

_“Two: I, more than anyone, know that everyone loves a villain and it’s so easy to damage someone’s reputation…” Lexie says softly. Lucas puts his arm around her. She still never told him what’s been happening since he left…All he knows was there were plenty of rumors surrounding his baby sister, none of them particularly pleasant._

_“Are you ever going to tell me why those rumors even exist?” Lucas asks._

_“Not today, Luke.” she shakes her head, “And third, you met Darcie and you like her, a lot. If you believe she’s innocent, then honestly, trust your gut. It's all so easy to twist the truth, so if you've got any doubts, I say it's worth exploring.”_

_“I wish I could see her again, Lex…” Lucas confesses softly._

_Lexie shrugs, “Same. To be honest, I kinda shipped you two. Darcie was awesome, would have been a great sister-in-law. I never liked that Carl guy. Gives me lowkey-fuckboy-disguising-as-a-soft-shy-nice-guy vibes.”_

_“I thought you liked the soft, shy, nice guys.” Lucas’ eyebrow raised._

_“The real ones, not the fake ones.” Lexie grins. “But you know what, I wouldn’t worry about it. Life’s weird. It has funny ways of giving us what we need when we least expect it…”_

_She then handed Lucas a letter._

_“What’s this?”_

_“I submitted an application to Love Island on your behalf. Pack your bags, big bro, you're going to get your butt back into the UK and you’re about to reunite with the love of your life.”_

_Lucas was speechless. "I-I, b-but, you...what?! How'd you even get me in?"_

_"Connections." she grinned. "No, but seriously, you're Lucas freakin' Koh. I literally sent the application with your Insta link and that family photoshoot that we all took for Vanity Fair's 'Modern Royalty' section. The rest was just a Google search away."_

_"I...Sis, I don't know what to say! You're amazing!" he smiled, giving his sister a hug and nearly crushing her in the process._

_"Hey, hey, you'll ruin my Balenciaga dress!" she protested, but smiled. At least someone in her family would finally get to experience true love. “Okay, now remember: Love Island’s probably going to throw you as much curveballs as possible. Don’t be stupid and fall for it. I know you, Lucas. You’re usually optimistic but the second there’s a little doubt, you’ll panic and probably do something stupid. Don’t lose focus. If you want Darcie, go for her.”_

_"Don't worry." Lucas grins, with all the excitement of an little boy being told he's going to Disneyland. "I let her go once, I won't do it again. Not without letting her know how I feel."_

He remembers that night. That faithful night that was the dawn of a new beginning for him. Or, at least he thought.

He could hardly sleep on the plane ride from America back to the UK. He thought of all the possible scenarios where he would meet her again. He wondered, should he pretend they never met or acknowledge each other as old acquaintances? No. Absolutely not. Lucas has a feeling Darcie came in to win and he knew that if the world knew he and Darcie knew each other before, the chances of her winning would be slim.

Instead, he made up a game plan. Well. Sort of. The rest of his family were excellent at strategising and planning. Lucas was great at starting plans, but never following through. He was far too free-spirited, always wanting to think outside the box and do something unexpected. It just wasn't in his nature to treat things like love as a battlefield.

But now, he's wondering if that was his mistake...

Maybe if he came in with a plan instead of going in mostly blind, he'd still have a shot with her.

He didn't understand. He just didn't.

There had to be some explanation here.

First of all, Carl Devlin was on Love Island?

Fuck. Of course he was. Lucas didn't doubt that he and Darcie were probably the most popular couple on the show right now and this show loves to throw in bombshells to whatever couple seemed to be the happiest. And to find out that the ex of the most popular contestant on the show was the rich son of a multi-million tech business?

He wondered if Carl would out the fact that Lucas and Darcie knew each other. If he did, would watchers of the show figure out that it was all an act?

Well, did it matter? It wasn't an act, anymore, after all, Lucas was pretty sure of that. Or at least, he was, until now. He kept replaying that video over and over, just to make sure he saw everything right and it wasn't just his imagination. There was no mistaking it, though. She was kissing back. 

He didn't-couldn't-understand. He never knew the real circumstances of why they broke up, but reading between the lines, you could figure it out. The second they broke up, suddenly Carl had a shiny new girlfriend, brand new friends and a new thriving new business? He just discarded her like she was nothing more than yesterday's toy. Worst of all, he kept trashing her long after she was out of the picture.

Everytime Lucas thought of it, his fists clenched. He never used to hate Carl before. Of course, he was envious of him, but never hated him, because he figured that he made Darcie happy. But after their breakup and with the way he behaved, his hate began. It was an odd feeling. Lucas wasn't the one to have many enemies or people hate them. Once again, he proved to be the black sheep in that regards: every member of his family, even his little sister, had a long list of enemies. But not Lucas. No, Lucas was just too damn likeable and he never saw a reason to be mad at anyone.

So, what now? Would she bring Carl back? If she's smart (which she is), she will, only because oh, the TV drama, ratings will soar and go through the roof. The chances of her bringing him back were high. Lucas didn't care so much about that. He cared whether or not her intention to bring him back was for the show or because she was truly falling back in love with him...

He hoped not. He doubted Carl could change. Even if he did, all he can remember is how spitefully he spoke of Darcie. How could you claim to be in love with someone yet say such cruel things about them? 

Even now, if by some unfortunate twist, Darcie decided she wanted Carl back, Lucas could never find it in his heart to say a bad word against her. How could he? He cares too much about her...

And she cared for him, he was sure. At least, he thinks he is. He's sure if it weren't for Casa Amor, she would be in his arms right now and they would both marvel at how this started out as a game and turned into something real. The most recent memory, how she spoke to him the morning before they went to Casa Amor.

'When I come back, we need to discuss things. For real, this time.' 

The words rang in his head. Before he saw that video, they were beacons of hope. Now, they seemed like taunts. 

"You alright, Lucas?" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He looked up and there was Gary. Good, because right now, he could use someone to talk to. "Yeah, just my head's spinning a bit."

"Yeah. So much going on. I tell you what, mate. I'd take any of these girls home to my nan." Gary grinned.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. They're all amazing." Lucas lied. Truth be told, he didn't pay much attention to the other girls. They were all nice and lovely in their own way, but...they weren't Darcie. Although evidently, Darcie wasn't thinking the same thing back in Casa Amor...

"I imagine that's your trouble, isn't it?" Gary asks, referring to Lucas and Blake.

Blake was the only one whose name he could remember, only because he clocked her as the closest girl who had Darcie's vibes. Closest, like a chicken is close to a phoenix. But still. Oh, and not to mention how relentlessly she'd been pursuing him. Now, he remembers the terms of his and Darcie's agreement: they had to bring someone back. He'll bring Blake back, since it was the easiest option. But he wondered, given recent developments, was this requirement to bring someone back still on?

Because it's one thing if Darcie brings Carl back for the cameras. But if Darcie did choose Carl for real, then...that's it. Lucas was done. He'd pack up his stuff and leave the villa. Why would he stay? He's already got fame and fortune, he never needed Love Island to get that. It was Darcie he came for.

And if she chose Carl, so be it. But Lucas couldn't leave without telling her how he felt. About her. About how she deserves so much better. That 'much better' didn't have to be Lucas, but it certainly wasn't Carl.

In the meantime, he decides to focus on the game. Perhaps focusing on it will be a distraction. 

"It's just...that video's got me wondering, you know? Why's Darcie kissing that guy?" Lucas asks.

Gary shrugs, "Same reason you kissed Blake, mate."

Lucas began to panic, realising that he and Blake had to kiss for 10 seconds during a challenge that first day. It wasn't exactly unpleasant but it wasn't anything special either. Then again, he felt a bit bad that he couldn't give Blake an actual chance, not when Darcie was on his mind.

But then he realised, if the lads received a video, the girls must have, too. 

Oh...

There's no way the producers didn't include him kissing Blake. 

He could feel his stomach turn. How awful must it have been for Darcie to see that, given what she's been through with Carl? They weren't together officially, but still...

"Surely, you could tell that was just for the challenge, right?" Lucas asked for reassurance.

"Depends on how they edit it, I s'pose." Gary said.

Shoot. He had a point.

"And remember, the girls' video was edited, too!" chirped Bobby as he jumped on the kitchen counter, joining in on the convo. "That's why you look so worried, right, Lucas? Wondering if Darcie's head's been turned?"

Lucas didn't answer, instead looking at his hands. Was he that obvious?

"Don't worry, mate. It wouldn't surprise me if that was edited, too. I bet they just didn't show the part where Darcie throws him into the pool or something." Bobby laughs and despite it all, manages to earn a chuckle from Lucas. She would, wouldn't she?

Unless she fell for Carl's tricks.

He's seen it before. So many people going back to partners because they were told the right words at the right time and they were surrounded by the wrong people.

Lucas would give anything to be with her right now. Tell her that whatever Carl's telling her, it's nonesense. He's sure he's telling her the usual things that makes someone stay in an awful relationship: 'I'll change', 'no one else will love you like I do', 'you'll be alone', all that crap. 

All he can hope for is that the girls are there for Darcie. He wants to tell her none of it is true. She's a wonderful woman. The best, really. She was strong, intelligent, witty, caring...now the whole world knows it, too. She already was, and is going to be, so loved by so many people. She would have a world of options to choose from, fighting boys and girls off with a stick. Again, it doesn't have to be Lucas, even though he'd love it to be. But she has to know that. She has to know that whatever awful things Carl is telling her, she will be loved.

"Lucas!" he hears a voice call, and when he turns, it's Blake, wearing a green bikini that looked like a cheap imitation of Darcie's. Actually, most of Blake's bikinis looked like cheap imitations of hers. "Could you help me tie my bikini in the back? I think the string snapped."

What a very Darcie-esque seduction technique. Gary and Bobby eyed Lucas, giving him a warning look that said 'don't do it'. Honestly? Lucas felt far too lazy to do it. If he had it his way, he'd say no thanks, go into the villa and catch up with the latest Peter James book. 

But, he's in a game, one that had to be played. So, he pretended his head was turning, too.

"Sure." as he left Gary and Bobby, he could sense their disappointments. They liked Darcie, so it came as no surprise. Lucas wish he could tell them the truth. Maybe one day, he would. They were good lads and it was a shame he couldn't say what was truly on his mind.

He wondered what his friend back home thought. Probably rolling their eyes. Of course Lucas has the prettiest Casa Amor girl go after him, but he's hopelessly distracted by the girl he's actually coupled up with, who was the most alluring Love Island girl. They're all probably thinking, 'don't be stupid, Lucas, go with Blake!'. But then again, few knew the depth of his feelings for Darcie.

Truth was, he had a feeling he was about to get his heart broken. But that's not what devestated him the most. 

It was the thought of Darcie falling back with someone who would hurt her again.

* * *

"You really like her, don't you?" Blake says.

"Huh?" Lucas had never sounded dumber in his life.

Blake Beckers pursed her lips. She was not happy about how things were going, at all.

It simply wasn't fair. Darcie DeVille was by far the breakout star of Love Island. She'd never seen anyone be so universally adored on reality TV. People liked how brazen and sassy she was yet adored watching her kinder and more vulnerable side, especially the one she showed when she was with Lucas. 

But Blake should have been Darcie in the first place! She's got no idea what happened. She was meant to be on Love Island but then they bumped her to Casa Amor instead! Better than nothing, but that meant Darcie had more time in the limelight, to gain praise and love and adoration. It was so unfair! Darcie was basically a lesser version of Blake: less classy, less cool, less hot. If Blake had been in the Villa from the beginning, she would have twice the love that Darcie already had!

Ugh. She hates to admit it, but despite her disdain for Darcie, Blake thought she and Lucas were sort of cute. Come on. She was jealous, that didn't mean she was blind. Darcie and Lucas were clearly in love with each other and brought out the best. So she sort of hates how she has to be the homewrecker. But on the other hand, Blake kinda likes it. There's a special power in being the homewreckers. Who else can say they've split up Romeo and Juliette? To say that you are so magnetic, beautiful, amazing, that even a man so in love and in a relationship would risk everything all for you. 

She bet she could get Lucas to do that for her. Did she love him? Well, not really. He was the most gorgeous boy in the Villa by far, but God, was he a bore. For a rich kid, you'd think he'd be more interesting, but no. Even his chat with Darcie on TV seemed dull to Blake. Who ends up in the Hideaway only to talk about aliens? 

Perhaps it was Darcie's influence. Lucas could probably be a bit more exciting if he had a less boring person to couple up with. Someone like Blake, perhaps. Even before she arrived, Blake knew Lucas was her only option. He was a Koh, for God's sake. Do you have any idea how much that would elevate her social status? And again, it did help that he was gorgeous. All she had to do was get him to like her.

Oh, she's tried. Blake isn't dumb, she knows she's the hottest girl in the Villa right now, hotter than that Darcie DeVille even. But for some reason, Lucas could only think of her.

"Darcie. You really like her." Blake concludes, "You must do, because I'm practically getting you to undress me and you have no reaction."

Lucas flushed, "I mean, technically, it's the opposite. You're asking me for help with tying your bikini up...but that's besides the point. I'm really sorry. You're a very pretty girl, Blake-"

"But?" Blake demanded and before Lucas could answer, she continued, "But you're thinking about a girl who's going to get her head turned."

Lucas raised his eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"

Blake grinned. "Us Casa Amor girls were able to talk to the Casa boys before they went to the girls. Turns out, one of them is her ex-boyfriend, Carl Devlin."

Lucas looked shocked (though admittedly, not as shocked as Blake expected). "And yes, he was the one she was kissing in that video."

But Lucas refused to listen. Or believe, it seemed. "It could just be for some kind of challenge."

"It wasn't." Blake says, "And even if it was, it won't be for long. You see, I had a little chat with this Carl guy before they went in. Can I be honest with you, Lucas?"

Lucas gives her a look that tells her he knew it didn't matter if he said no. 

"If you keep pining after her, it's kind of snakey." she begins and she can tell that Lucas thinks that's absolutely ridiculous. But she's not done yet. "I mean, think about it. If you heard Carl and Darcie's story, it's like hearing the plot of some romantic movie. It's the kind of romance we could only dream of. And here you are, trying to get in the middle of all that."

"Yeah, but this isn't a movie, it's real life. Maybe there's a reason they broke up, a good one." Lucas defends, his arms crossed.

"Maybe, but how many stories have you heard of people breaking up for a long time, only to find each other again and growing old together?" Blake asks.

Okay, so she was trying to trick Lucas, but this was actually true. Once, Blake ran an article on elderly couples who told their story. You'd be surprised at the amount of them with so much fights that could have broken anyone up for good: sordid affairs, harsh words, betrayals left and right. And they did break up, some for a few months, others for an entire decade. But life seemed to have a way of bringing lovers back together and despite the awful end, many of these couples overlooked that and spent their last few days together.

"Maybe because they're from a different time when they're more prone to tolerate that kind of stuff?" Lucas says as if it's the most obvious thing ever.

Blake blinked. Okay, he got her there, much to her dismay. She didn't like being contradicted. But still, she wasn't about to give up.

"But can you look me in the eyes and sincerely tell me that you're fine breaking up what could be an amazing love story?" she asks.

Lucas doesn't even hesitate for a second. "Yep."

Okay. 

Blake sighed. He's really making her work for it, isn't he? Well, no matter. Onto Plan C. What a bother. She was really hoping that Plan A (her being hot enough to turn his head) would work. Plan B seemed to be a loss since Lucas apparently doesn't care about being a homewrecker either. Luckily, she's always had an ace up her sleeve...

"I don't think you are, Lucas..." she says slowly, walking up towards him, "More importantly, I think you're missing what's in front of you..."

Surprisingly, Lucas looked unconvinced. No matter. As soon as he was close enough, she grabbed him and pinned him down to the grass. She fell on top of him and leaned into his ear, spoke so softly that no one else could ever hear.

"Hey! What are you-"

"I know your secret. Carl told me everything." Blake whispered.

Lucas froze under her and Blake wanted to smile.

"Heres whats going to happen: you are switching or I'll tell everyone that you and Darcie are nothing but liars and schemers. Now, do you honestly think Darcie will be happy knowing you ruined her one shot at securing her future?"

He didn't answer. Didn't need to. Blake didn't need to meet Darcie to know that they had a lot in common, namely the fact that they were both ambitious and cunning. If she didn't steal Blake's spotlight, they could have been friends. But Blake knew that if Darcie lost everything all because of Lucas, she'd be furious, and little lover boy Lucas was far too in love to risk Darcie not wanting to speak to him anymore. After all, girls like Blake and Darcie could claim they're in love, but they will always be more in love with money than anything else. 

"Kiss me now and not like you did during that challenge. Kiss me like I'm Darcie and I just told you I loved you."

He had no choice.

Did he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand the story's back! I'm thrilled at the response! I honestly thought people had long abandonned this fic lol but I'm glad because I've got so much more to tell for this story.
> 
> Fun Fact: There were 2 endings for this chapter. One of them, Blake actually doesn't blackmail Lucas and has no idea about the truth, but Lucas plays the game because he's uncertain about Darcie's feelings. I was going to go with this but then I realised that in order for events later on to work (and for character development purposes), Blake needed to blackmail Lucas now.
> 
> Blake was rather fun to write. I wanted to write her as a sort of mirror to Darcie. You can spot certain similarities, like their boldness and nature to strategise and treat love like a battlefield. There is a huge difference though and this will become apparent when they meet. Oh, I can't wait to write that!


	17. Casa Amor: Progress, Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carl finally succeeds. Oh, no.

There were many reasons why the girls felt so strongly about what was happening with Carl and Darcie.

The first reason was the most obvious: Darcie was their friend. You know how they say love moves fast on Love Island? So do friendships. As cheesy as it sounds, it wasn't completely accurate to say that this wasn't 'friend island'. They felt like family: they'll fight, argue, and have drama, but at the end of the day, one of their own is really in trouble, they'll protect and attack, especially if the one in trouble was the queen of their little hive.

The second was because they all knew where this story was going. They've lived this story. They've seen it with other friends and family members so many times. None of them wanted to see it happen to someone.

The final one was because they knew that Darcie was acting out of fear and could lose something great with a guy who was head over heels in love with her. You can't help it. Those two were too shippable. Lucas was a nice guy and they wanted them to be happy. 

So when they all saw the video of Lucas kissing some other girl...it just didn't make sense.

Something was up, and no one was more convinced of some sort of conspiracy than Lottie, who insisted she felt some major 'bad vibes' from this whole situation. Suddenly, none of them knew what to think. So if they were all confused of what they thought they were sure of, you could only imagine how Darcie herself was feeling. 

Predictably, Lottie was fuming over Gary. Hope was freaking out about Noah (but what else was new?). Priya wasn't very happy about Rahim, but she wasn't heartbroken over it either, not being that into him to begin with. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Marisol were worry-free, the former being single and the latter being in a friendship couple. 

Most of the girls dispersed, each needing time on their own to either cool off or try and cheer up those who needed cooling off. Chelsea followed Darcie, who wordlessly walked upstairs to the terrace.

"Hey, maybe it's not what it looks like..." Chelsea says softly, her usually optimistic voice failing her at the moment. Could she explain what she just saw? No, far from it. But she'll be damned if Lucas didn't have some serious feelings for Darcie. Lucas looked at Darcie the way Chelsea looked at her favorite peach-scented eyeshadow palette: with serious love and adoration.

So, no, she might not have all the explanations. But she trusts in her intuition. 

And something inside tells her Darcie is going to do something stupid because of what she saw.

"I don't see how. Didn't exactly look like she held a gun to his head." Darcie says, her voice sardonic.

"Well, maybe she did! I mean we only saw their faces, she could have had a gun to his head!" Chelsea scrambled for any kind of explanation. Honestly, she thought Lucas having a gun to his head was more likely than him cheating on Darcie because he liked someone better. 

Darcie rolled her eyes, "This isn't the States, Chelsea, it's not that easy to sneak a gun in here."

"Right..." Chelsea bit her lip nervously. "Well, there's gotta be some kind of explanation, Darcie, none of this makes sense..."

"Sometimes, the simplest solution is the right one." Darcie quotes, then sighed, "Chelsea, I...I really appreciate you coming up here. But I think I need some time alone." 

The bubbly blonde opened her mouth, about to protest, but then shut it back. Chelsea was the kind of girl who always believed talking things out always helped, no matter what. But she knew that Darcie wasn't her and she had her own way of coping with difficult things.

"Okay. But if you need me, I'll literally be a call away!" Chelsea reassured her as she gave her a supportive hug, to which Darcie gave a weak smile. 

Reluctantly, Chelsea left Darcie on her own, feeling horrible even though she was complying with Darcie's request. It just didn't make sense to her. The mood was a bit somber that afternoon and Chelsea had no idea how to fix it. She watched as Lottie raged, Priya ached and Hope worried. Nothing compared to the grey aura that Darcie was emitting, but Chelsea just wished she could wave a magic wand and make everything better. 

Being here when everyone was mad and sad and stressed...it reminded her of home. And she didn't like it.

"Hi, Chelsea. Is everything okay?" a voice popped up.

Chelsea recognised the Irish accent. It was one of the reasons Darcie was so confused lately. Still, Chelsea tried hard to make sure he wouldn't see the hatred in her eyes.

"No...everyone's upset." she said, then she looked at him accusingly. 'And it's all your fault', she wanted to say. Yet here he was, looking almost smug, it seemed, just casually holding a hot cup of cocoa (who on earth drank cocoa on a summer afternoon, anyway?).

Even without saying it, her face said it all, and Carl sighed, "I know you think I'm the bad guy, but I'm not. I just want what's best for Darcie. It's easy to judge when you don't know me or don't know us, but if you knew everything, from the start, you'd understand why it's hard for me to just give up like that."

"If it wasn't hard for Darcie, shouldn't be for you either, right?" Chelsea asked. She wasn't even being shady, it was a real question.

"It is hard for Darcie. If it wasn't, she wouldn't be hesitating right now." Carl argues.

"She's hesitating because we're on Love Island! Anyone's head would be all confused!" Chelsea said. "Whatever, say what you want, we all know it's going to be Darcie and Lucas in the end. They'll find their way back to each other, I know they will!"

Carl just shrugged. "If you say so. Well, if you're so confident about them, you wouldn't mind if I go up there and talked to Darcie, would you?"

"She'll tell you to leave. She needs alone time." Chelsea said with certainty.

Instead, Carl grinned. "We'll see." 

Chelsea glared at him, watching as the cocky boy walked towards the terrace staircase, the chocolatey scent of his cup leaving. Whatever. Darcie would tell him off and he'd come downstairs crying. Good. Who knows? Maybe once and for all, he'd leave her alone.In the future, Chelsea will always wonder what would have happened if she had prevented Carl from going to see Darcie that day. Would things have turned out any different? Would she have just been delaying the inevitible? 

One thing is certain, Chelsea will always be confused as to what exactly happened on that terrace.

Because an hour later, Carl and Darcie came downstairs together. She gave a shy smile, even though she tried very hard to hide it. The word 'shy' and 'Darcie' just did not mean. Carl had a secretive grin on his face. Chelsea watched with a dropped jaw as Carl said something and Darcie laughed, probably for the first time in days (er, without the influence of alcohol, anyway). They seemed to give a little goodbye wave and as soon as they parted, Chelsea immediately darted to her friend's side.

"What happened?! Why were you two up there so long? Why are you guys being nice to each other?" Chelsea asked, a million thousand questions rushing through her head, too many to catch up with the ones coming out of her mouth.

"Relax, Chelsea, everything's fine. We just got to talking and reminiscing...he was just trying to cheer me up." she said casually.

Chelsea was gobsmacked, to say the least. "What do you mean?! A few hours ago, you hated him, now you're getting back together?!"

"No one's saying we're getting back together!" Darcie assured her, "But you've got to understand, Chelsea. We grew up together. Sometimes it's easy to fall back into a conversation about random things and remember things we used to do when we were younger, when everything was easier. But he was just trying to be nice. Carl talked to me as the guy who used to be my best friend, not the guy who's trying to date me."

But Chelsea still looked unconvinced. "I don't know...It still doesn't seem right." 

"Listen, I know it looks weird, but my head's all messed up today, okay? I just want one day where I don't feel like I'm making this big decision. I just want to relax, have fun and laugh. Carl helped me with that earlier. I can't get back together with him, there's too much pain there. But I can at least be civil." Darcie reasoned. "And I just want to have fun. Seems like Lucas is, I should, too, right?" 

When she talked, Darcie always sounded like she made sense. But it sounded more like she was making excuses. Trying to put a pretty gift wrapping over a bad present and thinking it's fine that way. At the same time, it was hard to argue with her. She could see that Darcie was tired: the slight bags under her eyes, the lack of color in her face, no vibrance in her eyes. So Chelsea sighs and drops it.

Not because she believes her, but because she can tell that Darcie was done fighting her conscience. At this point, Chelsea could only hope that Darcie would find the strength to fight back eventually.

"And now, this seems like the part in the movie where the main character has a big decision to make." Carl announced in a bit of a teasing way, treading cautiously into the rooftop terrace, careful not to scare her away.

Deja vu took over. Darcie staring into the distance, a melancholic look in her normally vibrant eyes, always taking any blanket or cover and wrapping it around her. How many nights had he been the one to see her like this, in their living room, or in their room, staring out the window, and he would approach her with hot cocoa, then grab a blanket then wrap both him and her in it, cuddling her, hoping to love the sadness away? 

It didn't happen as often as you'd think. But when a girl like Darcie was down, the few moments she was truly down stood out in his memory. It was one of the only times he felt needed and responsible for her, like he was actually the strong one in the relationship. The first few times it happened, it was great. But then it began to happen so much, and he resented her for it.

Ironically, he'd give anything for one of those times again. And he couldn't help but want to smile at the nostalgic scene. Only this time, he knew he could go over to her and just hug her.

"Carl, please. Not now." Darcie says and her voice is small and soft. It's a voice from Darcie that only Carl has heard, towards the end of their relationship, when stress began to get to her, when everything seemed to be going downhill. She doesn't even turn to look at him, her gaze still on the horizon. 

"Hey," he began, approaching her, "I'm not here to tell you Lucas is a dick or anything. I'm not here to tell you I'm still in love with you."

"Then why are you here?" she asks. Still no look.

"Because I wanted to ask..." he sighs, "Do you remember how that one High School Musical song goes? It's been in my head all morning, and it goes like, 'da da da-da-da! da da-da, da da-da da da!'"

"That's 'I Want It All'." Darcie says, her voice a little clearer this time.

"How does the beginning go, again?" 

Darcie snorts. "You should know, your sister wouldn't stop singing it for years when it first came out." 

"I remember. She always wore that sweater with the wee pink hearts and performed it every Friday at Mulligan's." Carl laughs. An old chippie's, always filled with teenagers every Friday, it was always a madhouse. To add to the chaos, Friday night at Mulligan's was karaoke night, something his sister always took advantage of. She was a typical posh girl but karaokes were her weakness.

"God, Mulligan's. I heard old Mully ended up falling in love with a woman in Ballyboffey and sold the place." Darcie lamented in her thoughts.

"What? No, they had the best fish and chips in all of Ireland!" Carl exclaimed, "I still remember my order. Red fish, a bag of chippies and-"

"And a Sprite. On some days, we'd stop by the corner shop and get some Rollo's when we were still hungry. Then we'd grab our greasy bag full of food and walk down to the beach and I'd tell you ghost stories that made you too scared to go home alone." Darcie snickered.

Carl smiled, "Yep. Funny how I've had caviar, foie gras, blue lobster, the finest steaks made by chefs who worked at Michelin stars restaurants, and yet nothing compared to a good old fish and chips with Sprite and Rollo's when you're young and dumb and free."

"Yeah...we used to be so stupid, weren't we?" Darcie chuckled sadly, "I remember saying I was going to be the Irish-American equivalent of Anna Wintour, go to work in Prada's and wear big sunglasses all the time...publish gorgeous articles on why fashion was art, steer fashion into a direction where it was more than just for tall skinny models, but it was for everyone, too..."

"I remember. Look how far you've gone." Carl smiled, but Darcie just snorted.

"'Far'? I've done my postgrad and all I've done was just begin an internship. Most people in my position have already gone so much further." Darcie said miserably. Everytime she looked on LinkedIn, all she heard of was how one of her previous coursemates was now an editor or editor-in-chief or a writer...meanwhile, she was doing an unpaid internship.

"Yeah, but something tells me it can only go up from here." Carl said, knowing that the job offers would be pouring left and right for Darcie whether she won or not. "Oh, and I forgot, this is for you. I remember you always drank hot beverages when you were upset, even if it was boiling outside."

He could feel his heart beat. This was the 'make it or break it' moment. The second where he would learn whether or not Darcie was willing to forgive. In all honestly, Carl was fully prepared to have her grab the cup and throw it all over his face. Instead, she took it into her hands, carefully, sniffing the cup, "Is this...?"

"Hot cocoa, with cinnamon, honey, ginger and mint, yes." he finished with a smile, "Your go-to drink when you're sad."

"Who says I'm sad?" she protests, but she doesn't even need to look at Carl to know the answer. Like it or not, he knew her. He always saw right through her, no matter how hard she tried.

Which is why Darcie wondered if Carl could see her second-guessing herself...

"I don't know. I guess I haven't seen you this upset since we played Stardew Valley together and your computer froze and it made you lose all your progress. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the farm we had on that game, though...Oh, well, I guess it doesn't matter, does it?" Carl smiled sadly, "Anyway, I'll leave you on your own, guessing you need some time to yourself. Just so you know, I'm here, if you need me...I mean, however you feel about me as your ex, you're still my best friend. And, well, I'm hoping that I can at least be that for you again, so, yeah..."

When she doesn't immediately answer, Carl turns around, taking a deep breath. He's not quite sure what will happen, but regardless, he takes one step, two step, three step, put his hand on the doorknob back into the villa, and-

"'Carcie'." she said.

He stopped in his tracks, turning around, "Huh?"

"'Carcie'." Darcie answersed casually, "That was the name of our farm on that game. We named it after you and me, combined our names together."

Carl had to stop the huge smile on his face that was coming. 

His hand slowly came off the doorknob, and he turned back to Darcie, who was finally looking at him, expecting him to answer to what she had just said.

And that's when he knew, he was on her way to getting her back...

Those who once met an ex, whether they be an ex-friend or an ex-lover, know the odd contrast and irony of their situation: on one hand, you could hate them with every fiber of your being. Despite wounds being healed so many years ago, the scar is still there and all you can think of is how awful your past few moments were with them. Yet on the other, if the stars align just right, you might think of the amazing times you've had together: the conversations, the inside jokes, the hugs, the secrets, the intimacy. Suddenly, it's like watching an old movie from your childhood: a blast from the past becomes a comfort when the present and the future felt so uncertain.

That's exactly what happened when Carl went up to talk to Darcie. Did he expect things to turn out this well? Of course not. But it did, out of pure dumb luck and sheer coincidence: she'd needed to talk to an old friend, one who could truly understand how she thinks and feels. Coincidentally, Carl decided to change his tactic that day and opted for a friendlier, no-pressure approach.

And it worked.

He's not saying he had her completely yet, but it was a world of improvement compared to last night.

"Okay, what did you do?"" Elijah asks, completely surprised. "How did you get her back so qucikly?"

But Carl shakes his head, "I didn't get anyone back. She just needed a shoulder to cry on."

Elijah whistled, "You've got some talent, mate, I'll give you that. Although come on, be honest, between us lads...is it really her you want or are you just playing the game? I mean, we both know all anyone can talk about is Darcie DeVille these days. She's a shoe-in to win and even if she doesn't, let's be honest, she's going to be a star coming out. I mean no offense, but to be honest, it's all just too convenient."

Carl chuckled, "I can understand why people think that. The evil ex coming back to leech off the rising star's fame. But the truth is, there's so much more to our story than anyone knows."

"Well, no offense, but I think everyone knows it after you've told the boys your history with her last night. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. Movie-stuff. The kind of romance people only thought existed in songs or books." Elijah reminded him. "But you never told us how things ended."

"And I'm not going to, that's in the past." Carl said defensively, then sighed. "Dumbest mistake I've ever made."

"Ah, well. We all make mistakes. I'm not sure how far I believe this, but as Chelsea says, if it's meant to be, it will be." Elijah says, giving Carl a pat in the back.

Carl smiles and watches as Elijah goes over to Chelsea, who gives a cheery smile and laughter that could probably be heard from the actual villa. He's kind of jealous at how easy it was for Elijah. Chelsea was single, Elijah made a beeline for her and she was probably the easiest girl to please.

On the other hand, Carl was the complete opposite. Going after the one girl who was already impossible as it is to please as is, but add in the fact that the worst thing you've done in your life was done to her? Carl knew he was rolling a stone against an upward hill. 

But luckily for Carl, he provided good drama. 

And where good drama is, the producers if this merry little show are never that far behind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang on tight, guys, we are exactly TWO chapters away from Darcie and Lucas' reunion. We have one chapter left in Casa Amor and then BAM. The Lucie reunion! Let's see how it goes...


	18. Don't You Want Me Baby?

"I've got a text!" Hope yells and everyone comes running.

Well, except Darcie, who is just not in the mood, as evidenced by the fact that she showed up with her covers wrapped around her entire body like a burrito, her sunglasses on and coffee in her hands, a.k.a the look that might as well have the words 'Fuck Off' in big bold letters tattooed on her forehead.

A gorgeous villa filled with people is not where she wanted to be right now. She's spent the day with existential crises and constant questions. What she needs is chocolate, cheese puffs, delivered pizza, and a selection of great chick flicks ranging from the classic Charade starring Audrey Hepburn, to Mean Girls with her sass icon Regina George, and ending with a Gossip Girl marathon (seasons 1 to 2, because the later seasons were an absolute disaster). 

Instead, she's forced to endure this. Ugh...

_'Think of the endgame, Darcie, remember, it'll all be worth it in the end...though, God, would I kill for a good pizza and my onesie right now.'_

To say this was a confusing time for Darcie was a bit of an understatement. She had just spent the afternoon prattling on with her ex about childhod memories. Yesterday, she hated him. Today, she laughed with him like it was some sort of 10-year-reunion and they were just two people who casually drifted apart. You'd never guess the shitstorm of an ending their relationship had.

She can only explain it by the fact that there was just so much raw hatred and bitterness there that she's finally had enough. She's not sure if it's completely a 'forgive and forget' situation, but whatever the case, she just didn't want to think about her and Carl anymore.

Then again, it was easier than wondering what she and Lucas were...

"Islanders, today you are all relieving your childhoods and playing a combination of spin the bottle, truth or dare! and never have I ever!" Hope reads out loud and already everyone is clapping with excitement. 

Oh, God.

Oh, well. At least this way she'd have access to alcohol one way or another.

The game was simple enough (and dangerous): one by one, they would spin the bottle. They would then pick a card from the stack which contained either a truth or a dare. 

Here's the dangerous catch: whoever the bottle didn't land on, everyone in that group was required to drink a sip. 

"Are they trying to kill us?" Marisol's eyes widened, "After last night?!"

"What are you on about? Summer in a gorgeous villa, filled with beautiful girls and a party every night? What are we waiting for?" Felix clapped excitedly. 

And so the game began.

Certain truths were fun, like when it landed on Arjun, he had to say which boy he'd couple up with if he had to (curiously, he didn't even hesitate to say Elijah). The dares were even funnier, requiring Hope for instance to give Felix a lapdance and having the poor boy nearly have a stroke. Certain props were set to make the game even funner, dresses, suits, even some, um, 'not safe for work' items (which resulted in a hilarious race between Graham and Felix vs Marisol and Priya and creative uses with the 'whips'). Even a large stage was set, which was perfect for the dare involving Kassam's hilarious striptease (which he was not a fan of, but after a few drinks in him, the boy was...surprisingly loose).

With each passing turn, everyone ended up getting tipsier and tipsier. Darcie's vision blurred and she noticed how much more tipsy she was getting by the fact that she and Priya were swinging back and forth as if they were dancing. 

"Hey, Darcie, I'm having fuuun...are you having fun, girl?" Priya asked, deciding to have a little girl talk while the game was still going.

"You bet I am!" Darcie laughed. Oh, it was definitely the alcohol talking.

"Good! I'm glad. You've been so sad lately... but I miss how you were in the villa. You looked so relaxed and chill there, like everything was right for you." Priya drawled lazily, smiling as she leaned against Darcie's shoulder.

"I was chill and relaxed and happy...but I guess that can only last for so long, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but the good thing is you can get happy again after you get sad!" Priya exclaimed.

Darcie blinked. It seemed like such an obvious thing but it never occurred to her. For all the headaches she's suffered for a while these past few days, she had to remind herself that at the end of the day, there had to be a way out of this whole mess.

"You know what I think? I think you're smart, Darcie. But we smart people, we think too much! So much angst and thinking and wondering about what might happen. It's just like Marie Kondo says, you just need to choose what sparks joy right here, right now!" Priya smiled, "Forget about what ifs or what might bes. What feels right, right now?"

In a weird way, Priya had a point. Sure, she may not have experienced some of the more painful heartaches that Darcie's been through, but she provided an outside perspective: maybe she has been thinking about things too much. How about just doing and stop thinking, just for once?

"AHHH! Your turn!" Priya excitedly shook her arm. 

When Darcie came back on earth, she realised the bottle was pointing directly at her. With a grin, she decided she would do exactly what the dare tells her, no matter what.

"Darcie, I dare you to sing using the karaoke machine!" she reads out loud and practically screams with joy. She loves karaoke! And if you've never tried drunken karaoke, she highly recommended it. 

"What's on the agenda? 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'? 'Man I Feel Like a Woman'? That Titanic song?" she grinned as she ran up to the stage and grabbed the mic.

"Hey, wait, there's more!" Priya stopped her as she read the rest of the card, "You must spin the bottle a second time to determine your duet partner!"

"Ohh, exciting!" Darcie giggles. She'd love to sing with Kassam, that'd be hilarious. That boy has a rod up his ass the size of Big Ben. Wouldn't it be fun to hear him sing 'Baby One More Time'? 

No, instead it landed on...

A laugh escaped from Darcie. Of course it landed on him. It had to! It was too ironic and too predictible and she's sure that the producers are controlling the bottle one way or another. 

Now, she had two choices: be mad about it or just go with it. What's the worst that could happen, right?

"Ayyye, Carl! My fuckboy ex! Come and sing with me!" she says, giving a huge wave of her arm to get him to come up.

Surprised that she wasn't mad, but yet not too much because he knows that alcohol made the usually stone-cold bitchy Darcie everyone's new best friend, Carl just laughed nervously, walking up as she began to twirl around when the music began to play. "You're drunk." 

"And you're being boring." she fake pouted with a grin, "Come on, shut up and sing!"

His heart began to swell as he suddenly recognised the opening notes of the music playing. When he looked at Darcie, they both recognised it, and their eyes widened. "No way!" Carl gasped in disbelief.

"Holy crap, it's the Routine Song!" she guffawed as she began jumping to the music. 

The 'Routine Song'. She was 9 and he was 13 when they first heard it. She wanted to win her talent show when school started so she enlisted his help with her routine during the summer so she could be 'pitch perfect' by the time school began. A demanding and bossy perfectionist, even then. The first song they'd heard was a catchy song her mom used to listen to, so she knew the words well, and he remembers spending that entire summer learning the song and choreograph.

Then, it became a routine to sing that every summer since then.

" _You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar_

_When I met you_

_I picked you up, I shooked you up and turned you around_

_Turned you into someone new.._." Carl sang and suddenly he's transported to when he was 22 and she was 18, amature karaoke club in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by people who shook their head at the sight of two dumb young kids singing a song way before their time.

" _Now five years later on, you've got the world at your feet_

_Success has been so easy for you_

_But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now, and I can put you back down, too.._.." 

Usually, Darcie liked to sing this part. Always has. It was her way of making sure that everyone knew she was the kind of girl who'd let you die if you hurt her. At least, that's the kind of girl she always thought she was. Oh, how funny things are. Now Carl was singing this part, and somehow, deep inside of Darcie, she wondered if it was some sort of hidden message.

But she was too tipsy to notice.

" _Don't, don't you want me_

_You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me_

_Don't, don't you want me_

_You know I don't believe it when you say that you won't need me_..." This was no hidden message. Carl was looking directly at her.

She closed her eyes and began to sing along with him, the words to a song she had sang so well. Without realising it, Carl began to dance with her. How funny, the last time they did this was so many years ago, yet here she was, singing and dancing the exact same way they've done so many times as kids.

" _It's much too late to find_

_You think you've changed your mind_

_You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry!_

_Don't you want me, baby?_

_Don't you want me, oh_..." She didn't pay attention to the words. After all, they were just the words of a song they happened to love singing together when they were younger. They didn't mean anything to her anymore, no more than the alphabet song was known to children. If she had, she would have wondered if their favorite song to sing seemed to have acted as a foreshadowing this whole time...

Nevertheless, she sang the part usually reserved for 'the girl' part. Once, Carl always sang this part. But it seems like the rolls have switched.

_"I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar_

_That much is true_

_But even then I knew I'd find a much better place, either with or without you_

_The five years we have had have been such good times_

_I still love you_

_But now I think it's time I live my life on my own_

_I guess it's just what I must do_..." 

Carl had forgotten how lovely Darcie's singing was. She used to win karaoke contests back home and Carl always thought that she sounded like a Disney princess sometmes when she sang. 

Oh, how sick she was of wondering. Pondering. Thinking. She just wanted to have fun. So fun is what she shall have. Why not? Seems like Lucas wasn't too concerned about having fun, after all...So why should she?

Come on, she was on Love Island! Under the sun during summer surrounded by hot singletons...why shouldn't she have fun? Why must everything be filled with such questions and endless guesses as to what everyone's motivations were? Right now, she felt good. She didn't think 'is this a good idea?' All she thought was, 'am I having fun?' and she was. So, she kept going.

She felt good when she began singing. She laughed when she saw that Carl still remembered the words and the moves. She felt her body move on its own when he took her hand and twirled her. Adrenaline flowed through her like electricity as he got closer to her when the song began to reach its end.

"Go on, Carl!" Felix whooped.

"Dance your heart out!" Arjun encouraged.

The boys, even those who were pissed at Carl, were still excited for him. This was the first time Darcie seemed to willingly smile and touch him. 

The girls, however, were less sure. They all looked at each other with uncertainty. On one hand, Darcie was having fun. On the other, none of them trusted Carl...But in the grand scheme of things, they were all too inebriated to think properly on what they should do. 

"I don't like this." Lottie shook her head, "This whole thing gives me bad vibes."

It truly did. This song, while fun to everyone else, felt like a scary chant to Lottie. Instead of hearing a funky old school beat, she heard the words they were singing, and wondering if anyone else was aware of the odd exchange of dialogue that was hidden in the song.

"Neither do I, but...What exactly do you do when your friend chooses to take back the trashy ex?" Priya asks. She's been in this situation before and so has every single girl. To this day, she had no idea how to help.

"Now, hang on, she hasn't taken anyone back yet." Hope pointed out.

"Whatever happens, we'll be there for her..." Chelsea said firmly, sounding more sober than she had in that entire night. She thought back to her conversation with Darcie earlier. She wondered if sometimes smart people can do really dumb things...

They watched and clapped unsurely as the song came to an end. But what made them even more worried is how buddy-buddy Darcie and Carl seemed.

"That was so cracking, oh my God!" Darcie exclaimed, not even reacting when Carl hugged her. "I can't believe you still know the words and all!"

"Are you kidding? How could I forget? Everytime I hear that song, I can hear the midget, nine-year-old you screaming in my ear, 'nae, ya idjit, ya need to pivot'!" he laughed, mimicking her thicker accent.

"Oy, my accent's gotten a lot less thicker!" she defended, but she said so with a jolly laugh. It felt like reminiscing with an old friend, "And it's not my fault you've always had two left feet!" 

"And yet I didn't miss a beat." Carl pointed out.

"Meh, you were alright." Darcie teasingly shrugged, which resulted in Carl playfully pushing her.

As the girls watched, they were all just confused. And one, in particular, among them, wasn't going to let this fuckery continue anytime soon. 

"Okay, what the fuck's happening?!" Lottie's loud voice boomed and cut through this friendly chitter-chatter between the former lovers.

"What are you on about?" Darcie asked, her legs moving like Bambi trying to walk.

"I mean, why're you being all nice to him? He's a snake, remember?!" Lottie reminded her.

Her words seemed to make sense on paper, yet somehow, Darcie wasn't registering it. Right now, she wasn't capable of comprehending more than two sentences. "I-"

"Babes, I get it's tempting to go back to your ex." Chelsea says slowly, "It's like, sometimes, I'm tempted to go back to that awful matte mousse foundation because it's the first foundation I've ever tried and I felt so grown up trying it and sometimes I kinda miss the smell, but the truth is, the foundation is awful! It's cakey, oxidizes too much, doesn't play well with blush and its shade range is horrible!"

Lottie blinked, "Uh, Chelsea-"

"But then, I got shade matched for the Double-Wear foundation and at first, all my friends recommended it to me but I didn't listen, you know? I was like, how can one foundation be THAT good, right? But deep down, I knew it was the better foundation! It's got a better shade range, it's mattifying but not drying, it gave my skin that airbrushed look with the primer I used and it was so much easier to blend! And at first, I was a bit scared to try it, because it's new and it's a lot pricier than the matte mousse, but then I realised, I can't go back to the foundation that's bad for me just because it's easier and less scary! You have to pick the things that are scarier and new to grow and wear the best foundation, Darcie!" Chelsea finished.

"...Right. What she said." Marisol added.

"Okay, you know what I think?" Kassam interrupted, "I think you lot need to lay off. You're all too invested in Darcie's love life, maybe you should focus on your own."

This did not please Lottie at all. "It's called caring about your friends, Kassam, maybe if you boys had actual friendships where you're not afraid to tell your friend they're making a mistake, you'd understand!"

"Well, that's a tad uncalled for..." Elijah said.

"Girls, I think what Kassam means to say is-" Arjun began but then Darcie decided to shut them all up.

"Oh, my God, could everybody just shut up?!" Darcie snapped, her hands on her forehead, "You're all doing my head in. I'm not in a mood for a repeat from last night." 

"But Darcie-" Hope started.

"No buts! Let's just move on with the game..." she commanded as she spun the bottle again.

And with that, the game continued, much to everyone's dismay. There was a tension in the air and it was obvious that the girls were missing their boys back in the original villa.

Except for Darcie, who seemed to be leaning towards the person who sat right next to her. She didn't really care who it was, but his shoulder was comfortable. 

Of course, it was Carl's shoulder.

Long after the game was over in the ends of the night, the boys pulled each of their girl over for a chat. They all looked back at Darcie, who was practically sleeping on Carl's shoulder, and reluctantly agreed, deciding to talk to their boys within earshot of their friend.

They thought they were still protecting Darcie in a way. They were wrong.

Carl just stood on the ground, letting the girl beside him lean towards him and taking in the scent of her perfume. God, she still smelled as good as she always had. He knew he was being carefully watched by everyone in the villa, any attempts to bring her back into a bed alone would be lost. 

But that couldn't stop him from whispering, even if she was half-asleep. "Hey, Darce, can I tell you a secret?"

"Hmm?"

He took a deep breath. In a way, it might have been better that she was half-asleep and tired and too tipsy. She was like a docile little baby this way. No way could she react too badly about what he had to say. "I don't think I've ever stopped falling in love with you. Even when I said 'I love you' to someone else, I've never meant it as much as I have saying it to you."

She barely reacted, just giving a sleepy smile, "Hmm. That's nice."

Carl sighed. Not too bad of a response..."Did you stop loving me?"

"Oh, I hated you." she says casually as she lifts herself away from his shoulder and began to lie down on the cool, wet grass, tired and groggy. "I've hated you so much, it consumed me. For so long, I was convinced that I could hear you were dead and I wouldn't blink an eye."

Well. Ouch.

Still...the lines between love and hate can be blurred sometimes.

"That's not my question. Did you stop loving me?"

"I don't know...I don't know anything anymore..." she admits out loud for the very first time and Carl smiles. To him, it's a triumph.

If only he could read her head.

_'The only thing I know is that I'm falling for someone who may have been playing a game this whole time...'_

Still, just to be safe, Carl couldn't resist brushing her hair behind her ear and whispering, "Lucas is going to hurt you. You know that. You know me, you know I care about you. You don't know him. Choose me."

Darcie didn't answer. By this time, her eyes were shut and she began to lightly snore. Still, Carl smiled, knowing that whatever happened tomorrow, he knew one thing: he's gotten to her.

* * *

So. Today was the day.

It was the aftermath of the last night in Casa Amor. Morning happened and the stress was real. The boys seemed to give up their proud views of the girls' over-protectiveness of Darcie last night in favor of becoming obedient servants today, all hoping to be chosen by the girls to return. 

Lottie snorted, enjoying how subservient Kassam was being. She literally snapped her fingers and he came over with a frozen bloody mary. But she knew damn well she wasn't bringing him back. No, she still liked Gary. Also, as hot as Kassam was, she wasn't a fan of someone who was such a buzzkill. Lottie was a wild woman, she needed a wild man who could keep up. Priya and Hope weren't even entertaining the idea of bringing back Felix or Arjun (especially after everyone more or less threatened to disown Priya if she dared brought Felix into the villa, feeling like a week of the boy was enough for them).

Marisol and Chelsea didn't have any hesitation, of course, about bringing back Graham and Elijah. 

And for our main little hero?

Well, it was a no-brainer: Darcie would go in alone. 

She didn't care how things between her and Carl seemed to be a little better. At the end of the day, she considered it an official end to a part of her life which was important to her. Carl Devlin was always going to be a part of Darcie, whether she liked it or not. He was her best friend, her first love, her first family-outside-family. And she was his. There was no erasing that. 

But in the end, there was too much hurt and pain there. So, no, they wouldn't be the exes who still kept in touch and were in such a healthy place that they'd eventually invite each other to their weddings and gladly clap as the other found their true love. No, they wouldn't be catching up every once in a while with coffee. And they certainly wouldn't be tagging each other in fun memes on their socials or anything. But at the very least, they ended with a song. A song that followed them throughout their lives together and it now ended last night. It was very poetic, in Darcie's point of view, that it should end there.

When the time came to say goodbye to the Casa Amor boys, Darcie did so with peace in her mind. 

They all hugged each other goodbye, except for Carl and Darcie. He just gave her a smile and she smiled back. They both waved each other goodbye and the boys watched as the girls left.

As they drove off, Elijah looked confused at Carl's serenity. "So...did she say that she was bringing you back?"

Carl shook his head. "Nope."

The boys sighed, patting him in the back, "Sorry, mate."

"Oh, no need. I'm getting into that villa. She's going to choose me." Carl answered casually.

Felix blinked like a lost dog, "How are you so sure?"

Carl chuckled. Such a dumb, simple, but valid question. Well, valid to an outsider. "Because I know Darcie DeVille."

And more importantly, Carl knew just how scared Darcie really was of love.

* * *

As predicted, Chelsea brought Elijah and Marisol brought Graham. Hope and Priya elected to stay single, not a hint of hesitation in sight. 

Darcie was the last to pick.

It was a relief to be back in the original villa. The sight of the furniture, the view, even the scent of certain boys' cologne lingered in the air. She took a deep breath and rejoiced in being back. 

But then, she smelled an unfamiliar scent. Then she remembered, other girls came and replaced them. 

...Other girls came and kissed her Lucas.

Making her way towards the firepit, she couldn't hear anything but the sound of her entire heartbeat and everywhere she looked, she remembered something about her and Lucas: the pool where Lucas came to comfort her and listen to her. Inside the villa, where she and Lucas spent a night together just talking and cuddling. Outside, where she and Lucas slept in the daybeds and she remembered how his touch felt like electricity running through her veins. 

She looks into the empty grass area where the Ministry of Sound party once took place. Where she saw Lucas so sad, and she wanted to do everything she could to make him smile again. She remembered thinking, 'oh...I would go to the ends of the world for you', and being so excited.

But now, that only made her scared.

She was sure she had made her choice. Fine, she'd go to the villa alone.

But then the memory of Lucas kissing Blake replays in her head...over and over and over again. And everytime it did, she could feel her heart fall again and again. 

Truth was, she didn't know Lucas. She knew how he made her feel. How he made her want to make sure he was okay all the time. How whenever he looked at her she felt like she was warm and cool at the same time and when he touched her, she felt like she was home. 

But that only meant that there was so much more to lose...

The words come out of her mouth, it's like she can't even control her own body. Her true feelings, her heart, and even logic completely went out the window. Only Fear remained.

"...I'm switching to Carl."

No, wait...

She regretted the words as soon as they'd come out. But somehow, when she opened her mouth to rescind what she had just said, her voice disappeared. She felt like the Little Mermaid when she sold her voice, helplessly watching as Carl came towards her with a delighted smile. Obviously, he thought this was all the confirmation he needed: at the end of the day, Darcie DeVille will always choose Carl Devlin and that's that.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance." he tells her.

She shakes her head, her eyes wide, and all the girls could see she looked terrified. To see their fearless leader suddenly seem so small provoked something in all of the girls.

Chelsea was the first to react: her hand escaped from Elijah's and she immediately stood up, worry and concern written all over her face. "Babes, are you sure?!"

"Of course not, he's manipulating her!" Lottie glared at him as she followed Chelsea's lead, "What the hell did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything." Carl said slowly.

"Yes, you did!" Priya protested, "Don't act dumb. She hated you and after one conversation with you, she's suddenly doubting her feelings for Lucas and thinking of getting back with you? I don't buy it."

"I appreciate the concern, girls, but she made her decision." Carl emphasised each word. He was getting sick of Darcie's merry little band of bitches, always questioning him.

"She didn't. A real choice is done when someone isn't under duress. Darcie, you know that." Marisol stood up, looking straight at Darcie. Marisol was trying to appeal to the reasonable and logical side of Darcie, one law student to another. They've had their arguments, but at the end of the day, Marisol can spot a toxic relationship when she sees one, and she wouldn't wish that on anyone, much less Darcie, who was simultaneously an enemy and a friend, but more so the latter.

Darcie wanted to speak.

She couldn't.

It felt like one of those nightmares: she wanted to scream but she had no mouth.

Was this a nightmare? It had to be, right?

No, this was real...she just switched to Carl...why had she done that?

His fingers slid into hers and all she wanted to do was rip her hand away and run around the villa, look for Lucas, tell her how she felt, tell him 'screw our deal, I want you'. 

Instead, she let him lead her to the firepit and she couldn't even believe it as she felt herself sitting down. She doesn't even blink when he takes her face in his hand and kisses her. It's an out of body experience and she has no idea what she's doing.

"Oh, Darcie..." Lottie is the one to speak, the heartache clear in the normally tough woman's voice. 

All the girls felt a somber cloud above them. And so it happened. Another one of their friends succumb to the ex. They couldn't stop it. They were too late. Or too weak. Or not good enough. Either way, it happened. 

"We're so sorry, Darcie." Chelsea says softly. Darcie's eyes darts towards her and for a second, Chelsea thinks Darcie is about to speak. But she doesn't. Instead, she just looks at her with an expression that's hard to read.

But that's because Darcie didn't know what to think or feel. Everything felt too surreal. 

She looks down at the hand squeezing hers and remembers just how easy it was. She knew what to expect. She knew his love wasn't good, that he would hurt her, that this wouldn't end well, but at least she knew. With Lucas...she didn't. 

She's so into her thoughts, she doesn't even realise that the boys are back.

The first one to come back has a tall, slender, beautiful girl wrapped around his arm, and he looks at her as if she had just kicked him in the face. The pain in his eyes alone made her snap back into reality and wonder, ' _Oh, God, what have I done?_ '

"Darcie?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THAT'S A WRAP FOR CASA AMOR AND GOOD RIDDANCE
> 
> Phew, what a mental roller coaster, huh? Anyone ever got back with their toxic ex? Well, I have once. Wasn't pretty. Didn't end well. And guess what? I was just like Darcie, so sure and confident it wouldn't happen, but it did and I honestly don't know how. It really does feel like a weird out of body experience, one where you're not even sure how you got there in the first place.Toxic exes have that effect on you.
> 
> And oh, Lucas, poor, poor, Lucas...I've already begun writing the next chapter and ooh boy did it hurt my heart. 
> 
> Get ready, kids, cause the next chap is Lucas and Darcie's long awaited reunion!
> 
> Oh, also, just in case: Darcie and Carl's 'routine' song is 'Don't You Want Me' by the Human League


	19. Consequences of her Actions

You know when you're a kid and you go into a roller coaster even though you don't really want to, but you have to because all your friends are going and you don't want to seem like a wimp?

Then you get on the roller coaster and you can feel the dread in the pit of your stomach as the ride begins. You can feel your body defying the laws of gravity and you take a peek to the side, only to realise everyone looks like ants and you're way too high up. It would be so easy for the ride to malfunctions, the bars to open up, the buggy to tip to the side, or you're somehow yanked out of your seat, and you'd fall and plunge into your horrific death. 

Then, just when you're realising the depth of your fear, you drop. Hard and quick and furiously. You know it's coming and you tell yourself you can mentally prepare for it but you never can. It's not possible to. Sometimes, the body needs to experience it to comprehend it later. 

Well, that's how Lucas Koh felt as he walked into the villa, with Blake Beckers clutching his arm, a huge smile on her face. 

On one hand, he thought that perhaps Darcie expected it. But this was something in the plan neither of them anticipated: Blake knew and she would out them if Lucas didn't do her bidding. How on earth could he explain this to Darcie? 

And on the other, things changed between them. Maybe she wasn't expecting it at all. Maybe she was expecting a grand romantic gesture so he'd prove his love, like he'd come back alone.

He didn't know, but whatever the case, he was confused: he was excited to see her again, but his heart sank everytime he thought of Darcie seeing Blake. 

But try as he might, he wasn't prepared for this. 

He'd hoped he was seeing things when he saw a dark-haired figure kissing her from afar. The closer he got, he prayed it was just a coincidence that the dark-haired figure also had blue eyes. Even when he saw that Carl Devlin had his arm around his girl, some part of him denied it. Well, wanted to deny it. Pretend it was a look-alike or a trick of the light.

It wasn't.

"Darcie?" he asked softly. 

He wanted to know more. An explanation. Something inside of him told him she didn't just bring him back for the cameras. No, something inside told him she chose Carl because he was Carl. 

And he couldn't understand why.

She immediately stood up, her eyes only on him. She didn't even seem to register Blake beside him. And as soon as she got up, Carl ceased to exist. All he saw was Darcie.

Darcie, who looked like she hadn't been eating properly. Bags under her normally cheerful eyes. Posture so small and weak, her shoulders tucking in instead of having her chest out, head slightly down instead of chin up. She wasn't like herself. He wanted to take her and run. Away from the cameras. Away from Blake. Away from the show. But most importantly, away from Carl, because he doesn't know how but he's sure that Carl's got something to do with the fact that Darcie looks drained and confused and like she hadn't slept well. 

More than that, he wanted to put his arms around her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything he's been feeling since the first time he saw her at the Snow Gala. He'd keep playing the game if she liked, he'd pack his bags and run away with her right now if she desired, or he'd leave alone and never see her again if she asked, as long as she can promise him that it would make her happy. 

But no way in hell would he leave her with him. Hell, he'd sooner rather leave her with Rocco than Carl.

But he could see it in her eyes. She wanted to run to him too...

* * *

"Lucas-" Darcie began, taking a step towards him, but was immediately interrupted by Blake coming over and giving air-kisses.

"Babes, I'm so sorry! You know that if we were in the villa, I would have pulled you over for a chat before grafting on Lucas. I'm so sorry it had to happen this way and for what it's worth, I do think you're great!" 

God. If she was going to be fake, couldn't she at least be convincing at it?

Now, Lucas was raised a gentleman so obviously, he wouldn't actually do anything, but man, did he wish Blake would have just gone away right now. Blake broke the spell between him and Darcie. 

"Darcie, this is Blake..." he says, voice full of apology and hoping that he could show through his voice and body language that she meant nothing to him. 

If Darcie noticed, she didn't give anything away. "...Right. Nice to meet you."

The awkwardness got even worse when the girls began to point out how simillar Blake was to Darcie. Lucas wanted to say what was on his mind: no, they weren't. They only seemed simillar, but Blake was nothing like Darcie. Darcie was so many wonderful things, ambitious and powerful but caring and considerate, whereas Blake was just selfish and cruel. He wanted to tell everyone that they were wrong.

But if we're talking about things he wanted to say out loud, he'd say: _'I don't care about Blake, it's Darcie I want...it's always been Darcie'._

Darcie tried being nice about the whole comparison, but Blake...

"I don't really think that's true," Blake began after Chelsea compared her to Darcie, "Don't compare me to Darcie. I'm not like one of those girls who have to try so hard all the time to look good. I'm just me, you know? That isn't Lucas' type, either."

...Uh-Oh.

Lucas cringed, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

On the other hand, Blake annoyed him and she got what was coming.

Darcie pursed her lips then looked to the side, as if she was pondering something. "Hmm. Well, I'm so sorry."

"Why're you sorry for, Darce?" Lottie asked, confused.

"Well, see, I thought Blake here was around our age, perhaps early to mid twenties. But given her need to insult me despite my being polite given the awkward circumstances, I'm apologising because obviously, I've mistaken this immature twelve-year-old in front of me for a grown woman." Darcie said with a cheerful smile, much like a condescending teacher to a child. "So again, my sincerest apologies."

"Who do you think you're calling childish?" Blake glared, stepping towards Darcie. If she thought that just because she was so much taller than Darcie that Darcie would back down, she was sorely mistaken.

Instead, Darcie laughed like she was dealing with a toddler and took a step forward.

"Okay, listen here, Blake Not-So-Lively. Clearly, you've suffered a head trauma because you honestly think you can go toe-to-toe with me. I'm guessing back at your place, you were hot shit and nobody dared say anything to you. But you're in the Big Leagues, now, sweetie, so let the adults here explain to you how this is going to go, kay-kay? Now, I'm not going to catty towards you just because of the circumstances you came here in. I'm not thrilled about it, but I get it, it's all in the name of the game, right? So you, my incredibly dumbfuck friend, have two choices." 

Before Blake even begins to protest, Darcie keeps talking.

"One," Darcie begins by putting one hand up, "we can forget this encounter happened and we can be civil. And I mean, _civil_ , to the point where I won't even mention how horribly early 2000s your tacky gold dress is. Choosing this would give you a chance to act like a big girl and deciding to be mature and _likeable_ about it."

Darcie decides to put an emphasis on 'likeable', because then Blake begins to understand where she's going with this...

"Or option two, which is the more troublesome but arguably the funner one: you keep playing the rude, jealous bitch, insult me for no good goddamn reason, keep flapping those excessively-fillered lips and I will smack you down like the fist of God in front of national television." said the smaller girl with a voice so sweet that you'd think she was offering Blake a trip to the candy store.

Despite the tone and the words she said, Blake knew that Darcie was saying so much more than she seemed to.

Translation? 'I know you're here for the fucking game and if you want to step out of this looking anything more than just the Casa Amor Homewrecker, you better do whatever the fuck I say because we both know I'm the fan favorite'.

"Your choice, Boo-Boo Kitty. Which one's it going to be?" Darcie smiles, waving both her hands like they were living embodiements of the options.

Of course, everyone knew what Blake was going to choose.

Instead, Blake rolls her eyes and walks away. Or more precisely, next to Lucas and puts her arm around his. 

Deep down, it filled Darcie with rage and broke her heart. But she never lets it show, instead gives her a smile that says, 'I'll get him back'.

( _maybe because deep down, deeper than that nagging voice that says she can't, she secretly knows she will)_

* * *

They watch as the rest of the Islanders return and both thought the same thing: this was taking too damn long.

Surprisingly, most stayed loyal, with the exception of Jakub, who chose Shannon, who was another addition to the growing number of Irish folks in the villa. But that only made Darcie angrier, because why did Noah, Gary, Bobby and Rahim, stay loyal, but her so-called man couldn't?

Then she remembers he might have only brought her because of their deal earlier. 

But then she remembers that kiss she saw...

Finally, she decides she doesn't know what to believe.

Without realising it, her hand instinctively took Carl's and squeezed it. He noticed and grinned, taking it as a sign that she was falling for him again.

Lucas saw it, and drew the same conclusion, so his eyes fell to the ground, not bearing to look at it any further. 

At some point, Blake catches Carl's eye and she gives him a wink. He knows it's a 'thanks for the tip'. Carl knew it was wise to have some sort of ally in the game and he could also smell the ambition and fame-hunger from Blake a mile away. You don't grow up the way Carl does without recognising the fame whores instantly. Much like Darcie, he knew Blake would do whatever it took to win.

Although, surely, she must have realised that by going for Lucas, who had the other half of the 'favorite couple' status in the Villa, she automatically became the Casa Amor whore and would never be liked by the fans? She wasn't like him and Darcie. Carl and Darcie had history, a story you could root for, not to mention chemistry. They still had a chance of winning. But Blake and Lucas? No way.

And honestly. He thought Blake would be smarter than to make an enemy out of Darcie. Why on earth would you aggravate your status by going toe-to-toe with the fan favorite, not to mention, the one who had the sharpest tongue in the entire villa?

Regardless, he didn't care. As long as Blake kept Lucas busy, it shouldn't matter. If circumstances were different, Carl wouldn't have doubted that Blake could do it. He wasn't joking when he said she was probably one of the most beautiful women he'd met. She looked like some sort of Victoria's Secret model, with her long legs, slim frame and gorgeous face. Any man would have killed for a chance with her.

But Carl knew Lucas always held a torch for Darcie, so shaking him off wasn't as simple as having a nice pair of legs flaunted at him. He only hoped Blake was smart enough to realise that.

He catches Lucas looking over at him and Darcie. Darcie seemed to be miles away, deep in thought and not even paying attention to what's going on in front of her. So Carl knows she won't react when he puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close. He doesn't mind reminding Lucas, _'She was mine first and she'll be mine last_.'

And so begins the Love Island race...

* * *

They all needed to breathe so they all separate. Those who chose to stick reunited and those who switched got better acquainted with their new loves. Blake and Shannon were all introducing themselves, but it was obvious that the girls weren't so hot on the former given her earlier interaction with Darcie.

And speaking of the resident Queen Bee, she said she needed to use the bathroom.

In reality, it was a ruse to get away from Carl. 

Everytime she felt Carl touch her, she felt like she was in a dream. Sounds romantic, doesn't it? But it wasn't the kind of dream you wish you could stay in forever. It felt like a confusing dream, one where the trees are pink and fish fly in the clouds and your childhood teddy bear merrily walked around as if it was human. A lot of it seemed like it should be comforting, but all Darcie could think of was of how it didn't make sense. 'Surreal' was probably the word she'd use to describe it. After all, she never thought she'd be reunited with Carl again, especially not under these circumstances.

And she never thought in a million years that Carl would suddenly be so desperate to get her back. To claim he still loves her. 

She never thought she'd agree to be with him again, either.

She didn't want to, though. Be with him, she means. Yet she did. She looked at him look at her with those blue eyes, so deeply in love and like she was the only girl in the world that mattered, and she wants to remember what it felt like when they were young, living the world's greatest love story and their biggest concern was which restaurant shall they try out that night.

But his presence weighs her down. Every breath he breathes close to her, she feels in her stomach like something is pushing her to the ground and she must get away from him before it pushes her under completely and crushes her.

So she pretends she's drank too much water and heads upstairs to the rooftop terrace.

As soon as she closes the door behind her, she surprises herself when she falls in tears.

She cries for the little five-year-old Darcie who thought she met the love of her life. She cries for the sixteen-year-old Darcie, who promises herself that she'll never fall in love the way her mother did with her father who ran to the States. She cries for twenty-year-old Darcie who falls hopelessly in love with Carl Devlin and tells herself he's nothing like her father. She cries for twenty-three-year-old Darcie, left behind by the one person she never thought would abandon her, drowning in rent bills and student loans. She cries for twenty-four-year-old Darcie, who makes a last-ditch attempt to fix her family and visits her brother in rehab, only to have him throw his chair at her in front of everyone at the visitor's room. 

Now, she cries for the Darcie a week ago, who was slowly falling in love with a wonderful man. Tonight, she cries for the Darcie that refused to fall again. All because she's afraid that one day, she'll cry for the twenty-five-year-old Darcie who thought she met the real love of her life on Love Island.

Her sobs are loud and fall silent to the empty night sky. She goes on the couches, puts her knees up and buries her head in them, hoping to whatever deity out there that no one could hear her. The last time she cried in front of someone, he left her without a care. He left her alone to cry in the half-empty room. He left her feeling excited, in fact, that his new life would begin while hers fell apart.

She never wanted to cry in front of someone again. 

They always leave, anyway.

* * *

Lucas needed a breather. It was all too much. He doesn't even speak to Carl. Couldn't even if wanted to, in fact, since Blake kept hogging his attention. It became all too clear within a few seconds that Blake had made herself a pariah from the beginning and the girls wanted nothing to do with her. So Blake insisted on following Lucas around like some sort of lost puppy.

Thankfully, Bobby, seeing that his mate was in dire need of help, immediately came to the rescue.

"Hey, Blake, right? It's Bobby, remember?" 

"Of course, we've met." Blake smiled, though in reality, she barely paid attention to Bobby because she thought he was too childish and annoying.

"Hey, I need your opinion on these new drinks I'm trying out..." Bobby then motioned for her to come to the kitchen. Blake sighed and followed, though obviously not amused.

Bobby then winked at Lucas, who put his hands together and mouthed 'Thank you'. 

If Bobby didn't win this game, he at least deserved to be MVP. Lucas dramatically put his hand over his heart, not forgetting his soon-to-be-fallen brother's noble sacrifice. 

Still, he wasn't sure how long Bobby could hold Blake's attention, so he tried to make the best of it while he could.

His head was pounding, meaning he had a massive headache. Who wouldn't? After seeing the woman you love go back to her shitfaced ex, honestly, all he wanted was to curl up in his bed and sleep. Sleep, forget any of it ever happened, and maybe not wake up so he doesn't have to deal with reality in the morning.

If he was being honest, he wanted to go to bed because if he stayed up any more, he would think of Darcie and Carl and he would feel himself sink more into the ground.

So, he was tempted to go to bed directly. Whatever, early night, right?

Instead, he felt like getting some air. So, he walks into the rooftop terrace to get some alone time.

But then he hears sobbing and immediately runs up. Whoever was crying was in deep pain, and no one should be in such pain on their own.

When he opens the door, he feels his heart fall when he finds who those sobs belong to.

Half an hour ago, it was easy to think Darcie was normal. The way she had stood her ground against Blake was all to reminiscent of Classic Darcie: strong, unflinching, wilful, in command. In fact, it was so convincing, it made Lucas forget about what he thought when he first saw her. Only now does he remember how he noticed her fragility, how much thinner she's gotten, how the light has gone from her eyes and she kept walking like she was in a dazed dream. 

He knows what everyone will say: this is the woman who stomped on his heart with her stiletto heels and didn't seem to care. He should be glad she's sad.

Instead, he closes his eyes shut and finds tears running down his own eyes. 

He's not sure why she's crying or how she ended up here. But he walks up to her and wraps his arms around her from behind.

He feels her jump at first. She was so upset that she didn't even notice someone come in. 

"L-Lucas?" she says, without even turning around. Her entire body is shaking in his arms, despite the warm summer air.

"I'm sorry." Lucas says. He's not sure what he's apologising for: for coming in with Blake? For kissing her? For not defending Darcie straight away? For not going to her as soon as he saw her? 

For not telling her this was never a game to him?

"I'm so, so, so sorry." he breathes, holding tighter with every apology, but not so tight that she'd feel suffocated. But her hands find his and she holds them by crossing her own arms, all while he's still hugging her. 

"No, I'm sorry." she croaks out in between cries, "I don't-I just-I was-I lo-"

"Shh, it's okay. You'll tell me later." he knows she can't talk or think clearly now, so it's okay. He doesn't want to put any pressure on her, no more than the pressure that life had given to her so many times. 

So, she cries and smiles. It's such an odd feeling, to cry and laugh. It honestly feels like the very definition of insanity, that two contrasting actions should be done simultaneously. Maybe she was going a little crazy. 

But in his arms, she felt like she could be. She could be crazy, she could be weak, she could be sad, and that's okay. She could be human and he would still be here when it was all over and he would still look at her like she was the sun and stars and the moon all at once. He loved her when she was weak, he loved her when she was strong, he loved her even more when she was both.

And her? 

Well, before she cried for herself. Now she cries because she knows she's done a terrible thing to a man that loves her. She cries because she thinks of how heartbroken he must have felt. She cries because somehow, something inside her told her he would gladly step aside if she truly told him she was happy with Carl. 

She cries because that night, she realised she's hurt someone she cared about so much.  
  


( _and in that respect, perhaps she and Carl belonged together)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So weird thing, for some reason Casa Amor: Progress Progress uploaded twice. Archive glitch? maybe it was because i submitted the chapter at 3am? who knows!
> 
> Either way, hope you enjoyed the angstfest! More to come..


	20. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after gets a little awkward

Of all the ways Darcie and Lucas thought their reunion night was going to go, they expected a lot of things: heartbreak, betrayal, passive aggressive words, angry stares, longing stares, awkward looks, tension in the air as they got into beds with their respective partners.

However, what they did not expect was falling asleep in each other's arms, dried tears on their cheeks, a thin blanket separating them from the summer night, and even more surprisingly, waking up with smiles on their faces. 

...Which, incidently, is exactly what happened.

Last night was a lot. It carried so much mixed emotions at once. 

But the emotion it ended on was one of...serenity.

Darcie fell asleep knowing Lucas wasn't furious with her. She felt his fingers through her hair, whispering comforting words in her ear, and arms and legs wrapped around her like he was trying to shield her from the cold with his entire body. 

The thought would later cross Darcie that she felt just as much (if not more) comfort with this man she had truly known for less than a month than she had during the peak of hers and Carl's 'epic' twenty year relationship. So, what would this mean? Was her love for Carl not as strong as she thought and just the result of first love? Or was there something about her newfound relationship with Lucas that was just...the real deal?

"Are you okay?" were her first words to him when they woke up. 

"I was about to ask you that. Are you?" he asks her, one hand on her chin and gently tiltiing her head up, making sure she was okay and unharmed. "Your face is a little red..."

"Forget that, you're the one I used as a human blanket. Aren't you cold?" Darcie asks as she takes the blanket off her and wraps it around Lucas.

He chuckled, "I don't know if you notice, but you're a human radiator. You're always so ridiculously hot, I never need an actual blanket."

"Flirting this early in the morning, Lucas?" she teased, but a shy smile was on her face.

"Well, it was a real comment, your body temperature really is insanely hot. But you know, if the shoe fits..." he grins at her, but then chuckles nervously, his fingers nervously shaking his hair. 

She rolled her eyes but smiled. For all the highkey-bad boy-fuckboy energy Lucas gave off, he was more often than not just a huge dork with his cheesy lines and his out-of-nowhere comments about aliens and sunflowers. 

It was tempting to just fall back into his arms and not talk. Just enjoy the scent of him mixed with the morning dew that surrounded them. Enjoy the sunrise. Spend an eternity just in each other's arm like that...

But Darcie had never been good at succumbing to her daydreams. She always liked to know where she stood. So of course, she was the first to ask...

"So, about last night." she began, cringing at how much blunter it came off than she had intended.

Lucas opens his mouth. At first, he just wants to ask her what's going on in her head. Obviously, there's a lot of mixed emotions there. He didn't know the details between what happened with her and Carl, but it didn't take a genius to know it was a messy breakup. As of now, he wasn't too sure either why she brought him back. But most importantly, he wants to know why she was so overwhelmed last night that she felt like bursting into tears the way she had all alone.

But then reality hits and he remembers Blake's words...

"Shit." he immediately sits up straight. Darcie blinked and he tries not to focus on how sad she looked. "Shit, shit, shit..."

"What?" she asks gently, though deep down inside of her, a million possibilities run through. Was he officially with Blake now? Did he just sort-of cheat on her with Darcie? Was it even cheating if they were technically together? Wait, they weren't even really together yet.

Ugh. As if relationships weren't complicated enough. Add in a fake-dating in a TV show plot and Darcie's head was ready to explode.

"Nothing, it's just....it's not fair to Blake." Lucas simply decides to say. The cameras are rolling and there's no way he could tell Darcie the truth now. He stood up and got ready to leave, even though it killed him.

Darcie, on the other hand, was still sitting on the terrace couches. She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean-" Lucas groaned, "This is all so fucking complicated." 

"Yeah, you're telling me." Darcie scoffs, "So, what, Blake's feelings are what matters to you now?!"

It was absolutely impossible to tell anymore and truth be told, Lucas was getting frustrated. "Are you asking for the truth?"

"Yes!" Darcie exclaims. Usually, she was cold and calculating. But right now, she wasn't even getting the double-meaning of Lucas' question. Truth was, him asking that terrified her. Was he going to tell her that Carl was right and he was in love with Blake? Was that the 'truth'? "I told you I needed to talk to you before I left for Casa Amor. So, do I still tell you or should I keep my mouth shut now that you're apparently in love with Blake?"

'Because I'm trying to protect you!' he wants to scream. In general, he just wants to quit everything. Just tell Darcie the truth, tell Blake to fuck off, tell Carl to go fuck himself. 

But then he would ruin Darcie's chances of winning...she needs that money...he couldn't do that to her. 

At the same time, he just couldn't think straight.

Darcie just drove him insane. In so many ways. She made his thoughts go haywire, but part of him was frustrated at the whole situation. Why couldn't they have just met under normal circumstances? Why couldn't he just have gone up to her at the Snow Gala all those years ago? Why couldn't he just offer a shoulder to cry on when Carl broke her heart? Why did she have to play this game? Why did they have to enter this whole charade?

Why was he just so fucking in love with someone who could break his heart right here, right now, but he wouldn't regret any single part of it because of how close he got with her?

"Okay, then Darcie, let's talk about Casa Amor." he said. He just wants to know where he stands right now. "Why is your ex-boyfriend here?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but what could she say? The truth was, she wasn't sure why he was here. She didn't have an answer.

So when Darcie was left speechless, Lucas couldn't stop the questions from coming out of his mouth. "What's that mean for us? What does he have on you that you stopped caring about how I'd do anything for you?!"

"It's not that simple and-" Darcie began.

"Then help me understand! Because from where I'm standing, I'm just the moron who'd do anything for you and you don't give a shit!" Lucas answered.

It was Darcie's turn to get mad. How dare Lucas insinuate she didn't care at all about him? She cared too fucking much and that's what's messing her up! "That's not true, I care about you, Lucas! I just have no idea if I can trust you!" 

"What exactly have I done for you not to trust me?" Lucas challenged, "I've done everything you've ever asked me to, I've always been on your side, I've kept your secrets, I don't know what you want from me!"

"I want to know why you kissed Blake the way you did!" she exclaimed, "I don't understand, how can you say you care for me but kiss Blake like she's the one you want?!"

"I could ask you the same thing about Carl." Lucas said. This time, any trace of anger was gone. Instead, all Darcie could see was pain and hurt. 

That she caused.

"Lucas, I-" she began and honestly, she was ready to reveal it all: pour her heart on her sleeves. Completely unfiltered. How tempting it was to just fall back into Carl because even though she expects heartbreak, at least she knows what to expect. Tell him that she has no idea what she wants anymore, but all she knows is that she wants him. More than she's ever wanted someone. More than she's even wanted Carl, if she's being honest.

But then, before the truth could be told, she was interrupted by the terrace door slamming open.

And out came Bobby and Chelsea...

No, scratch that, a shirtless Bobby and a Chelsea in nothing other than an oversized shirt that looked like a dress on her. 

...Which everyone knew was Bobby's green shirt.

...Both came in with a grin that immediately disappeared when they saw Darcie and Lucas.

Four eyes all met each other, all confused.

As predicted, Darcie broke the silence.

"What the fuck is going on in this here day?"


End file.
